


We Won’t Remember the Frighteningly Blue Sky

by pyrefiy



Category: Red Velvet (K-pop Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-09
Updated: 2018-02-24
Packaged: 2019-03-15 17:12:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 29,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13617930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pyrefiy/pseuds/pyrefiy
Summary: Seulgi only hears the start of a scream when she jumps out of her sports car and tears down the barren road on her own two feet. Meanwhile, with shaking hands, Yeri takes count of the food, portioning it, trying to see how long she could survive, and tries not to think of when she might run out. That is, under the assumption that the zombies lurking outside find their way in. Or, the world has gone to hell.





	1. we piled up the bricks we've forgotten (and tore them back down)

 

**Irises**

 

Yerim is nineteen-years-old, sitting in a café when the epidemic hits. Truth be told, she doesn’t remember much of what had happened that day— there had been an earthquake, part of the roof caved in, and she’d passed out.

 

She wakes up under the carnage, and when she’s finally crawled her way out, she finds herself alone in the remnants of the café— everyone else must have made it out and assumed her dead. And glancing around the desolate café, still intact despite a pile of wreckage that rose all the way to the ceiling, Yerim can tell from the silence that she's safe in here.

 

But outside the walls, she can see the risen dead, stumbling out and around the streets. Zombies. The world has gone to hell.

 

Perhaps it was her hammering heart that awoke the dead.

 

Yerim couldn’t bring herself to leave the café, her little safe haven. So she trudged her way into the back rooms, surveying the supplies she had left. The owners must’ve gotten out as soon as possible (or died), judging by all the food left behind.

 

And Yerim might be afraid, but she’s smart. Smart enough to not fail AP Physics C. Smart enough to deal with her homophobic aunt at last year’s Christmas dinner. And surely, smart enough to stay alive for long enough. So with shaking hands, she takes count of the food, portioning it, trying to see how long she could survive, and tries not to think of when she might run out.

 

That is, under the assumption that the zombies lurking outside don’t manage to find their way in.

 

—

 

**Irises**

 

Or, maybe she doesn’t need to wait for the zombies to break in.

 

It’s been about a week, Yerim thinks (she’s been cutting tally marks into one of the still-in-tact tables), since she’s woken up.

 

And that’s when the glass of the back door gets shattered.

 

Yerim feels her heart leap out of her chest and get ejected from the atmosphere, but that’s right before she comes to her senses and bites her own hand to muffle her scream. She winces in pain as she pulls her mouth away and sees the dented mark, not enough to draw blood, but  _ damn _ that hurt.

 

She scurries over to the kitchen area and grabs the biggest knife she can find. 

 

“They’re just zombies... they’re already dead,” Yerim mutters to herself, hand shaking violently. “You can do this.”

 

Then slowly, she creeps silently back over to the front area, only to stop in her tracks when a voice sounds from behind her.

 

“You’re not going to slay any zombies with that stance.”

 

—

 

**Acacias**

 

Seulgi only hears the start of the scream when she jumps out of her sports car and tears down the barren road on her own two feet. Even from a distance, she can see the fear in the girl's eyes as the two men grapple to get her under wraps by the side of their black van. One of them wrings a rough hand over the girl's mouth to muffle her cry for help, and the boiling pit of rage in Seulgi's stomach overflows.

 

"What do you think you're doing?!" Seulgi roars as she draws near, and the men notice her with a violent start. She growls as they try to shove the girl back into the van, the captive shrieking in an effort to resist, tears pouring from her eyes.

 

Seulgi slips a hand into the deep pocket of her coat.

 

A second later, a knife hits its mark with a deadly accuracy, embedding itself into the metal lining of the black van, only an inch away from one of the men's face.

 

Oh, the way his eyes bug out in horror is so very rewarding.

 

She reaches the scuffle in only two more strides, closing the distance with a scary grace and poise of a skilled killer— not entirely wrong, to be quite honest. Seulgi's probably had the most experience slaying zombies out of everyone, ever since the epidemic hit and the world would never be the same.

 

She rips out her knife from where it's dug deep into the metal, swiftly transitioning to hit one of the men with the hard end of the knife's handle— she's not here to take human lives, that's not up her alley. But there's nothing stopping Seulgi from seriously maiming these abusers.

 

She glares at the form of the man stumbling back, only to turn her hard look on his counterpart, still restraining the girl in his grasp, though there's a noticeable amount of pain stricken in his gaze.

 

"Let go of her." Seulgi keeps her voice low, her warning falling heavily onto the man's shoulders like an anvil. He shivers under her gaze, trembling at the glint in her eyes. He's about to shake his head, Seulgi can tell. But she can hear the way his captive whimpers, how a sob is moments away from escaping her lips, and Seulgi is mad.

 

"Just try to refuse me," she threatens, deftly twirling her knife with one hand, before reaching into her other pocket and drawing out its twin. "We'll see how far it'll get you." Out of the corner of her eye, she spots the man she'd knocked down struggling to get up, and she quickly points a knife his way. "Don't get up. Don't you dare. Give her to me. This instant."

  
  


—

  
  


**Orchids**

 

Joy decides really quickly that the girl in front of her is adorable, with her tussed up, long hair and her gray hoodie. Joy smirks at the sight of her creeping forward, her back to Joy, wielding a ridiculously large knife. 

 

It’s clear that this girl has never left this café since the outbreak.

 

“You’re not going to slay any zombies with that stance,” Joy remarks, chuckling at the way the younger girl stiffens before slowly turning around to look up at Joy. “Hi there.”

 

“Are you going to kill me, u-unnie?” is the first thing that exists the girl’s lips, and the corner of Joy’s mouth quirks up in amusement.

 

"Do you want me to kill you?"

 

A quick shake of the girl's head.

 

_ Adorable _ , Joy thinks to herself.

 

"Good, I didn't want to kill you anyway," she voices aloud, and a wave of pity washes through her body as the girl in front of her visibly relaxes, slumping to the ground and letting the large knife clutter to the floor beside her.  _ She must've been really scared, _ Joy reasons.

 

"What's your name, kid?"

 

"Kim Yerim," the younger girl stutters.

 

"Yerim," Joy murmurs. It's a nice name— cute name for a cute girl. The only problem is that now, during these times, a cute name simply won't do out there. "I'm going to call you Yeri, then. Is that alright with you? There aren't just zombies lurking around outside, there are some bad people too. Don't tell anyone your real name, okay?"

 

Yeri nods, silently obedient.

 

"My name is Joy," Joy continues, gentler this time around. "That's not my real name, but that's what I go by."

 

"Joy," Yeri repeats, testing out the way it rolls off the tongue. "Okay."

 

"You know you can't stay in here forever, right?"

 

"I know..." Yeri hangs her head, and Joy can see the conflict churning through her brain. "I’m going to run out of food eventually."

 

“I’ll be in the area for a little while.” Joy’s mouth runs without her permission, gushing, flowing. She almost wants it to stop. This isn’t her place. “Maybe I could bring you more supplies.”

 

Yeri bites her lip, hides her eyes beneath her bangs. “I couldn’t ask you to do something like that for me. I hardly know you.”

 

"So come with me," Joy says, and immediately wants to smack her head against the nearest wall. Why the hell did she just ask that? Another person means another mouth to feed. Another person means that she'll need to provide ample protection. Another person means she's responsible for yet another life form. There are a few too many cons for having another person.

 

“We can get to know each other,” she says, and then she’s out in open terrain. No cover, no weapon, no plan. Who even knows what kinds of pros. She can’t take back her words now. What the  _ hell _ is she doing?

 

And yet Joy can't imagine herself leaving Yeri alone, in this dilapidated, skewed building crumbling inwards, starving herself to death. What a sad, pitiful way to go.

 

"Come with me," she repeats to Yeri, whose eyes go wide.

 

Joy waits patiently as Yeri mulls over her options, only for a smile to blossom despite her best will when then younger girl slowly nods.

 

—

 

**Peonies**

 

Irene finds herself being shoved into a protective embrace, a pair of reassuringly strong arms finding their way around her shoulders, and she wants to cry at the way this girl holds her tight to her chest.

 

Except that Irene no longer has any tears to cry; they'd all been wasted on other things, when everything had seemed so hopeless over the past few days, holed up in the back of that van. So she settles for sniffling into her savior's chest instead.

 

She doesn't look back at those men, doesn't try to see their bruised faces as they haul themselves into their van – a van with one less passenger now – and start the engine. The other girl is silent for a few moments, and Irene imagines her savior's stoic face watching her two captors warily, wanting to completely make sure that they were truly leaving before making any more movements.

 

Irene can't tell how long they've been standing there before she hears the van rev up and drive away, a gust of wind blowing her hair in its wake. She still doesn't look up. She notices how the grip on her shoulders hasn't let up, only loosened slightly.

 

"Are you okay?" A warm voice asks into Irene's ear, so different from the cold voice that had been threatening the two men from before. If Irene still had the tears to spill, this is the part where they'd be pouring.

 

The voice backtracks, and Irene feels the taller girl shake her head.

 

"What am I saying? Of course you're not okay, those men just— ugh." The disgust in the girl's voice makes Irene giggle a little. "I'm sorry, I wish I could've stopped them sooner. But really, how are you?"

 

"Much better," Irene says shyly, finally mustering up the will to talk. She looks up and meets the gaze of the girl who had saved her— had she been this beautiful when she'd thrown the knife at that man's head? Irene hadn't noticed her soft features, accented beautiful by a pair of sharp eyes, not unlike a cat or fox's.

 

"Thank you so much for saving me," Irene whispers, her voice breaking from days of no use. The thought makes her head hurt. Just a few minutes ago, she's still been tied up in the back of that van...

 

Her arms start shaking again, and alarm floods the other girl's features.

 

"Oh, please don't cry!" Her savior's lower tone rises in genuinely concerned panic, and Irene is struck by the gap between this person and the one who had sprinted to reach her. She feels her cheek get cupped by a warm hand, and the taller girl hushes her soothingly. Irene had thought she'd cried herself dry, but can she recognize her vision blurring.

 

"I- I thought," Irene hiccups, "I thought I was all out of tears… I-I don’t know what they wanted but-"

 

"Shhh," the other girl says again, shooting Irene the smallest of smiles. Irene feels her heart rate skid and fall flat on its face in nerves. "Please, you're safe now, I promise. My name is Seulgi. I'm... sort of the leader of a survival group really close by. Will you allow me to bring you there? My friend is a doctor, and she can look you over."

 

In the back of Irene's hazy mind, still worn out from all of the excitement, she absently thinks about how interesting it is that this stranger asked for permission.

 

She nods without a further thought.

 

"Yes... I think I'd like that," she tells Seulgi quietly, huddling closer to the taller girl. "My name is Irene. Thank you for saving me, Seulgi. You could have gotten hurt, but you still came and helped me."

 

"You were hurt, and screaming, and I was so angry..." Seulgi trails off, and Irene vaguely registers Seulgi leading her away from the site of the scuffle. "I would never forgive myself if I just stood by."

 

—

 

**Orchids**

 

"Is this the place?" Joy asks as she calms the revving of her motorcycle engine. She looks at the small house, located just on the outskirts of the city, not too far from the high school. It was a Wednesday when the outbreak occurred— Yeri must have been studying in that café when the earthquake happened. Now, with her tangled hair and her dusty hoodie, Joy has a hard time imagining Yeri as a regular high school student.

 

Yeri nods against Joy's back, relaxing her hold on the older girl's stomach and sitting up straight to stare at the house pensively.

 

"It's quiet," she observes.

 

"It is," Joy agrees. "Quiet is good. It means that there aren't any zombies crawling around inside. We can go in and get some stuff, if you'd like."

 

"My family's not inside, are they?" It sounds less like a question and more like a statement.

 

Joy frowns, hearing the wistful tone. "No, they're definitely not. They probably escaped when the evacuation order was issued." Or they were bitten too.

 

"I hope so." Yeri bites her lip, hopping off the bike and tentatively stepping towards the house. She pauses, hesitating before looking back at Joy. "Um, would you mind...?"

 

Joy chuckles and shakes her head, climbing off and joining Yeri on the walkway up to the house. She shoulders her shotgun. "Not at all. Let's go find you some clean clothes. You look awful!"

 

"I do not!" Yeri protests, but there's a light dancing in her eyes that hadn't been there before.

 

"How old are you?" Joy muses playfully, pushing the door open. "Eighteen?  _ Wow,  _ a senior in high school who still hasn't grown out of her hoodie phase!"

 

"It caught me on a bad day!" Yeri pouts, leading them down hallways and up a flight of stairs. "I don't usually wear hoodies, I swear! I was studying for an exam so I chose comfortable clothes, that's all, and— oh god."

 

"Well, this is a good sign," Joy says, noting all the empty drawers and barren closet space, obviously having been taken care of by people who had been careful deliberately. "Your house definitely doesn't look like it was raided – there would be a hell of a lot more destruction. I think your parents took all of your clothes as they were preparing for evacuation. They must have assumed that you were leaving the city too."

 

"So they probably made it out," Yeri breathes in relief. "That's good."

 

"Definitely," Joy nods. "But, the bad news is now you've got no better wardrobe." She laughs at the annoyed way Yeri scrunches her nose. "C'mon, then. That backpack in the corner over there? Take it. We're gonna get you new clothes."

 

—

 

**Peonies**

 

When Seulgi had mentioned being the leader of a survival group, Irene had pictured a small, run-down building, maybe a barricade made out of unused furniture. Rather, something straight out of a dystopian teen movie.

 

What she hadn't expected was for Seulgi to drive them through the iron gates of a recently-abandoned resort. Irene recognizes the name of the place –  _ The Red Summer _ – as one of the heavily advertised expensive resorts that had ads that played at least three times every hour on TV. 

 

"You look surprised," Seulgi notes satisfactorily, briefly looking away from the road behind her sports car's steering wheel and chancing a glance at Irene.

 

Irene shakes her head in awe. "I never imagined that humanity would flee to a luxury resort when the living dead hit us."

 

Seulgi chuckles, shrugging, and Irene feels something tug at her heart. She remembers this scene, so familiar to her. She remembers being driven down along the coast in his convertible, cruising with her ex-fiancé, back when she had loved him. Being like this with Seulgi, even after such hardship, almost feels normal for one reason or another. And Seulgi looks like the laid-back kind of calm; not like the eerie calm from earlier.

 

"Well, we haven't really occupied the whole thing," the younger of the two says. "There's not enough of us for that. We all just live in the main three buildings towards the center of the complex. The rest of the resort is very helpful for resources, although we've already searched the place clear for food— all we've found has been stored away. We're also a bit short on weapons."

 

"Is that what you were doing before you found me?" Irene asks as Seulgi flicks on the turn signal before making a right turn. There's really no reason to; there's no one else on the road, no police to catch her. Irene momentarily wonders if this is Seulgi's way of keeping her humanity.

 

"No, surprisingly," Seulgi admits sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head almost in shame. "I'd wanted a bit of time to myself, so I went for a drive. I love my friends dearly, but everyone needs a bit of alone time."

 

"Were you worried that zombies would find you?" Irene's a bit worried herself now, not knowing whether Seulgi always puts herself in life-endangering situations.

 

"This baby has out-sped zombies and saved my behind on so many occasions," Seulgi grins, and Irene cracks a smile at that. "I would've been able to bolt in the opposite direction lightning fast. But don't worry, I don't make it a habit to throw myself into the thick of things too often— I only do that when I think the outcome is worth it."

 

Irene opens and closes her mouth like a fish out of water at Seulgi's words, too stunned to conjure up a reasonable response. 'Worth it,' Seulgi had said. Irene had been worth it. Irene had been worth saving. The very thought makes her want to smile, no matter how grim the world.

 

"Thank you," is all she manages to say in the very end, right as Seulgi signals again and pulls into an empty parking space, next to a couple other cars lined up in front of what Irene can only assume is the main building. "Thank you for doing what you did. Thank you for saving me."

 

Seulgi flashes her a charming smile, her eyes upturning in the cutest of ways, and Irene is struck at how many different facets there are to this girl.

 

"Of course, Irene. You are  _ so _ worth it."

 

**—**

 

**Irises**

 

The first time Yeri sees Joy fight zombies, it's after they've left her old house and are on the way to an abandoned mall.

 

Yeri freezes at the sight of the five zombies stumbling around in the middle of the road, tightening her hold around Joy's midriff.

 

"Joy," she says quietly, absolutely paralyzed.

 

"I'm going to need you to let go, Yeri," Joy replies in amusement. "I can't deal with these things if you're latched onto me."

 

So Yeri lets go, albeit reluctantly. 

 

"Be careful," she cautions, and Joy smirks but says nothing as she nonchalantly hops off the motorcycle and struts over to the group of the undead. Uh oh. Yeri should've known that Joy was a daredevil.

 

She braces herself for gore, but what Yeri sees instead is the most beautiful storm of violence that she's ever witnessed. A series of dodges, a knife to the neck, and five gunshots ring through the air— just five. Joy doesn't miss. She's a natural— that goes without saying. It's as if the long-haired girl had been born for this new, desolate world reeking of true monsters.

 

And perhaps only three minutes have gone by before a still-smirking Joy returns to Yeri and the bike, achievement shining on her face.

 

"How was that for a show?" The older girl asks.

 

"Pretty badass," Yeri admits in amazement. Joy definitely deserves her leather biker jacket of badassery. "Can you... teach me how to use one of those?" She points to Joy's shotgun.

 

Joy smiles far too tenderly for a conversation about guns. "Sure thing, Yeri. Anything for you. I'll teach you how to survive."

 

But Yeri wants more than that. She wants to be like Joy— not only surviving, but  _ thriving _ .

 

—

 

**Acacias**

 

Seulgi watches attentively as Wendy, their group's head doctor, reviews the notes she'd taken during the physical examination, glancing Irene up and down once more before breaking out into a smile.

 

"You're in flawless condition, Irene-ssi," Wendy praises, and both Irene and Seulgi visibly relax at the admission. "The rope burns you received from your time as a captive are healing well, and they should be gone in a week's time."

 

"That's great," Irene breathes, thankfulness written all over her face as she absently rubs at the rough patches of skin around her wrists.

 

"Are you sure I can't hunt those bastards down?" Seulgi presses, taking note of the way Irene uncomfortably continues to shift anxiously, as if not entirely sure if she's really with them or not. Seulgi's heart aches at the thought of what would've happened if she'd failed to save Irene, or if Irene had not managed to get out of the van in the first place. In the hours that they'd known each other, Seulgi can't help but feel close to the older girl, almost responsible for her.

 

Irene laughs, the sound light and girlish, and both Seulgi and Wendy crack smiles at the chiming sound.

 

"You shouldn't waste your time, Seulgi," Irene says through soft giggles. "You could've killed them earlier, right?" Well, she's not wrong. "You must've spared them for some unforeseen reason— something told you to go easy on them." Irene tilts her head in consideration. "The real question is when I'll be ready to make myself useful."

 

“Oh?” Seulgi raises an eyebrow, the corner of her lips quirked up. It wasn’t that she had been expecting for Irene to simply be a resident— everyone has a place of usefulness here. She just hadn’t expected it so soon. “Well, that depends. Any preference?”

 

“Anything related to running and endurance?” A pause. “Or cooking. I can do that too.”

 

Seulgi smirks. “I’m sure we can find something here for you.”

 

—

  
  


**Orchids**

 

Joy leans up against the nearby wall, watching Yeri gape in awe as the younger girl dances through the aisles of abandoned clothes like a deer poking its head up through a field of tall grass.

 

“They just left all of this here?!” Yeri exclaims from a few rows down, standing on her tiptoes in order to see over the racks of wardrobe. She holds a sweater up, draping it over her head and pretending that it’s a bonnet, sticking her tongue out at Joy.

 

The older girl chuckles as Yeri disappears into yet another aisle. She can see the clothes hangers shift around as Yeri pulls a few shirts off of the racks. “Yup, there hasn’t been anyone here besides a few gangs or loners who refused to abide with the evacuation order. There was no time to force any of us out of the city, so they left us to do whatever we want.”

 

“Why did you stay?” The younger girl asks a minute later, walking up to Joy with an oversized, off-shoulder rainbow sweater on, the words  _ Love sees no color _ stitched onto the front. 

 

Joy’s eyes widen slightly at her choice of clothing but doesn’t comment, instead choosing to answer Yeri’s inquiry with a forced shrug.

 

“I’m not really sure why I stayed, to be quite honest,” Joy admits. “There was just something that told me to not hop onto the back of those trucks. They said that they were going to take us somewhere ‘safe,’ and yet I couldn’t picture myself willingly climbing into those claustrophobic rooms on wheels…” Joy trails off, then shakes her head, trying to clear her thoughts.

 

“Are you good, kid? Get everything you need?” she asks Yeri, who nods silently while shouldering her now full duffle bag, as though pondering Joy’s admission.

 

Joy frowns as they make their way out of the mall, back to where she’d tied up her motorcycle outside. She remembers the way the police and government officials had been hustling the citizens to the trucks, packing them into the back like cargo to be delivered. She’d taken one look at the scene before turning tail and running. She’d decided to take her chances with the fast approaching risen dead, and she’s yet to regret her decision.

 

“You adapted well,” Yeri says as they step into the bright sunlight after a quick survey to make sure there were no zombies around. Joy makes a small grunt in response.

 

The taller girl hops onto the bike, and Yeri climbs on behind her, wrapping her arms securely around Joy’s waist. Instinctively, Joy touches one of Yeri’s hands with the lightest of feather light taps before reaching for the ignition.

 

“What keeps you going?”

 

Joy is so caught off guard by the question that for a split second, she’s actually rendered speechless. Then, she tips her head back and laughs, the sound bright and light— a sound that sounds much more feminine than it deserves to be.

 

(Yeri’s cheeks get red at the sound. She wants to hear Joy laugh more. Joy’s laugh is human, and Joy’s the first human that Yeri’s seen in a while.)

 

“Yeri,  _ this, _ ” Joy says, sticking up her index finger with her left hand and revving up the engine with her left hand. She points up at the blue, blue sky above them and smirks, “is  _ all _ that matters. As long as I can see the sky above me. It’s enough, for now.”

 

—

 

**Peonies**

 

If there’s something that Irene finds utterly fascinating, it’s the way that Seulgi just has so many vastly different sides to her, and Irene has somehow managed to witness only a few of them by the time the younger girl is touring her around the premises.

 

For example, she learns that Seulgi is genuinely  _ smart. _

 

“Survivors with best intentions are to be treasured,” Seulgi is explaining as they pass by the communications center, located on the second floor of the center building, directly next to the fire exit— _for easy evacuation in emergencies,_ Seulgi had said earlier. “And we can do our best while working together, y’know, since human beings are self-interested individuals and whatnot. It only makes logical sense that everyone should work together to make the most of the situation.”

 

Irene tilts her head, brow furrowing in slight confusion. “I don’t mean to argue, I’m just trying to understand— when I think of a ‘self-interested individual,’ I think of someone who thinks that they can do everything on their own, for only themselves, which isn’t exactly the collaborative type.”

 

“Ah,” Seulgi nods in understanding, crossing her arms and biting the inside of her cheek thoughtfully. “Well, let’s think about it this way: imagine a world where only you and I exist.”

 

It’s almost scary to Irene how that kind of world isn’t very hard to imagine.

 

“So let’s say that you’re really good at hunting deer,” Seulgi says, laying out the groundwork. “And you’re okay at fishing. You only have twelve hours to do both, since you’re providing for only yourself. Sensibly, you’d spend six hours hunting, and six hours fishing, right?”

 

“Right,” Irene agrees, running through the approximate math in her head. “I’d have a good amount of deer, but not a lot of fish.”

 

“That’s correct,” Seulgi confirms. “So, if I was great at fishing, but only okay at hunting, my result would be the opposite, right? I’d have plenty of fish, but not a lot of deer. This is the problem when you only look out for yourself— sure, you might have an excess of one thing, but you’re also severely lacking in another area.”

 

“Then…” Irene chews on her bottom lip, and suddenly the concept hits her. “Then that’s why it’s better to work with other people, especially as a self-interested individual. If you focused solely on fishing, and I focused solely on hunting, then together, we would have more fish and deer combined than we could ever have on our own— the benefit of collaboration and trade. The self-interested individual benefits more from working with others.”

 

“Precisely!” Seulgi exclaims, happily clapping her hands together in approval. She beams at Irene, the whites of her teeth gleaming in the afternoon sunlight.

 

“Wait,” Irene frowns, blinking. “This is a basic concept of economics.”

 

And then Seulgi’s grinning.

 

“Clever girl,” she praises, and Irene flushes. “I knew you were worth it! But yes, that’s one hundred percent correct,” Seulgi says with a shrug. “Of course, there’s moral reasons as well, but you can’t really argue with straight up logic. If you present people with hard arguments, like economic theory, they’re more likely to be more agreeable— if you present your point in a reasonable way, that is.”

 

“It’s nice to know you wanted to use me for my intellectual capacities,” Irene shoots back playfully. “So, speaking of economic theory, have you thought about the opportunity cost of saving me?”

 

“You mean a benefit that I could’ve received, but gave up, in order to save you?” Seulgi inquires, and Irene smirks. Who knew that the badass Seulgi could be such a nerd, knowing terms like  _ opportunity cost? _

 

Irene bobs her head in a nod.

 

Seulgi shrugs, flashing Irene a quick smile.

 

“Irene, sometimes it’s just not worth calculating the opportunity cost. Sometimes, people are just worth it.”

 

—

  
  


**Irises**

 

“You don’t exactly look like a gun type of person,” Joy mentions as they stand in the middle of her extensive arsenal of weapons. “ _ But, _ you don’t exactly look like a short-range type of person either. Hmmm…”

 

When Joy first brought Yeri back to the hotel that the older girl had taken over – she’d fought her way to the top, demolished a nearby gang, and demanded that they give her the whole hotel in exchange for her to lay off her attack – Yeri had been in awe. Throughout the day, Joy had only managed to cement her position as Certified Badass.

 

“But I need something to protect myself with,” Yeri says insistently from where she’s located a safe distance behind Joy as the taller girl sorts through her widespread collection of weapons of all kinds— guns, knives, swords, axes, you name it.

 

With her back to Yeri, Joy nods, tossing aside another knife. “That, you do. I mean, I’m fine with doing all the fighting— I don’t mind doing all the dirty work. But I can’t risk leaving you unarmed.”

 

Yeri feels something stirring within her, deep down in the pit of her stomach. It’s a dangerous feeling; this feeling of being wanted and protected. For all she knows, Joy can be doing this out of complete pity, and yet, something tells Yeri that pity isn’t the means behind Joy’s actions.

 

It’s all too touching for a zombie apocalypse.

 

“Aha!” Joy grins, finally standing up straight. She whirls around, and Yeri’s eyes go wide at the sight of the shiny crossbow in the older girl’s hands. “Now  _ this _ looks like the perfect fit for you, Miss Yeri.”

 

—

 

**Orchids**

 

Surprisingly, it’s a full week later – a full week of weapon lessons for Yeri and her crossbow training, a full week of Yeri following Joy around the city, gathering supplies for who knows what, a full week of learning how to survive – when Yeri finally pops the big question after hauling in a bag of food into the hotel building that Joy had staked claim on. 

 

(Joy’s a big name around these parts, as Yeri finds out during their first run-in with another gang full of people who had chosen not to leave. Yeri calls it a “run-in,” but it’s more like the members of the opposing gang saw Joy and ran as fast as they can in the opposite direction.)

 

“Why do you have so many weapons stored, Joy?”

 

“It’s a long story,” Joy says with a shrug, settling down on one end of the hotel’s luxurious couches.

 

Yeri follows suit, sitting down on the other end. She places her hands on her lap, leaning forward eagerly. “Joy, we’re in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. I think we have the time.”

 

The older girl chuckles, shrugging in consent. “Fair point.” She reclines back onto the arm of the couch, closing her eyes briefly before looking up to the ceiling. “You want the whole story?” She doesn’t even wait to see Yeri’s nod. “My ex-girlfriend – broken up on amicable terms – was taking a road-trip to the other side of the country a few weeks before the outbreak. She was over there, away from home, when the world came crashing down.”

 

“Oh no,” Yeri murmurs, shaking her head sadly. “Is she okay?”

 

Joy nods, still not making eye-contact with her. “Yeah, she is. All cell phone-signal might have gone to shit now, but for a good single week, the cell-towers were working. She called me – she was worried about me, of course she was – but she told me that she was alive, and she’d joined a group of survivors who hadn’t evacuated. She was a doctor, you see. She and her friends had started looking for a cure. Can you believe it? A real cure to this madness!” 

 

She takes a deep breath. “She asked for me to join her, somehow. To bring weapons, food, clothes— anything that could help with survival. I—” Joy shrugs helplessly, and Yeri thinks that this is the closest she’s seen to sadness on her face. “I never decided whether I should try or not— she’s so far away, and I don’t know if I can make it.

 

“That’s not to say I haven’t thought about it though. I kept collecting these weapons, remembering her words, her asking me to join her. It gets lonely sometimes,” another shrug, but then Joy’s smiling at Yeri, and the younger girl feels something warm start glowing in her chest. “But I’ve got you now, Yeri.”

 

“You’re not lonely anymore?” Yeri presses hopefully. The glowing feeling expands when Joy chuckles, leans forward to ruffle Yeri’s hair.

 

“I’m not lonely anymore.”

 

—

 

**Peonies**

 

A few days later, Irene is seated in Wendy’s office, having a casual conversation with the other girl, when her first action as a member of the group comes into play.

 

The young doctor had been bored in her office when Irene had been passing by, and, seeing how Wendy looked in need of company, Irene had tentatively knocked on her door in an attempt to “engage with caution.” It turned out, however, that caution wasn’t needed when it came to Wendy— the girl was a social butterfly who just so happened to miss her girlfriend terribly.

 

“Eunji’s a runner,” Wendy tells her, and Irene nods, her mouth forming a small ‘o’ in acknowledgement. 

 

According to Seulgi and multiple others, being a runner was the hardest job among them all— only the bravest, most durable, and most willing ever became runners, and if they did, it was  _ always _ voluntary. Runners were the ones who went on supply runs to distant vacant towns, the ones who leapt to the rescue of wanderers, the ones who pillaged and sought salvation on the nearby gangs who remained around only to wreak havoc.

 

“She’s currently out on a long supply run that doubles as a largescale patrol,” the doctor continues, slightly deflating at the admission. Irene reaches out to pat Wendy’s shoulder. It’s only natural that she misses and worries about Eunji greatly.

 

Suddenly, the office door bangs open, and Seulgi barges in, panting heavily.

 

“You’re both here,” Seulgi says in a shaky exhale, looking like she’d just run a mile. “Good.”

 

“Seul,” Irene murmurs, hastily getting up from her chair and touching Seulgi’s hand comfortingly. “What’s wrong?”

 

“You said a few days ago that you wanted something to do with running and endurance, yeah?” Seulgi’s eyes almost look apologetic. “How would you feel about becoming a runner? Because we need all the help we can get at the moment.”

 

And then Seulgi’s not even looking at her, but Irene still feels the hairs on her skin rising at the stricken expression Seulgi gives Wendy, shivering at the way Wendy’s face pales and numbs.

 

“Chorong’s group got ambushed just recently,” Seulgi says lowly. Wendy looks ready to pass out, looking as white as a sheet. “Eunji is among them. They need reinforcements. Now.”

 

—

 

**Orchids**

 

Joy brings Yeri close and cradles the younger girl to her chest after Yeri finally makes her first kill. 

 

There’d been too many of them. All they’d wanted was to get back home, and “home” had just so happened to be on the other side of an entire hoard.

 

“Stand back,” Joy had murmured into Yeri’s ear, slipping off the bike and giving her shoulder a squeeze. “I’ll take care of them, okay?” 

 

No matter how much training she’d given Yeri, Joy would never want to burden her in that way. She hadn’t been lying when she’d said that she was fine doing all the dirty work.

 

Joy had made quick work of most of the hoard, bullets ringing through the air, swarm precise clean. 

Yet she hadn’t acknowledged the one that had snuck up behind her, throwing its arms around her neck and tugging her towards the center of the earth. A strangled scream had left her throat, hoarse and rough and Joy could feel the air leaving her lungs—

 

—until it all rushed back when the arms suddenly retracted and the body fell to the ground. Joy had gasped for breath, scrambling away from the limp, bloody body, rushing up to her feet. She’d done a quick survey of her surroundings; they were all dead. She’d spotted the arrow lodged into one, spun around and saw her.

 

Yeri stood away from the bike, her crossbow still poised from shooting shooting. She had stared at Joy through her scope for a fleeting moment, before the crossbow dropped from her grasp and she fell to her knees, eyes blank as she looked to the ground.

 

Joy had never ran faster in her life as she barreled into Yeri’s smaller frame, crushing her into a hug.

 

“Yeri...”

 

“I was so scared.” Yeri’s voice comes out muffled as she mumbles into Joy’s leather jacket. “I was so scared. I thought you were going to die. I thought- I thought-”

 

“Shhh,” Joy soothes, letting her lips lightly touch the top of Yeri’s head. “I’m okay. I’m okay. You did so well, Yeri, you did  _ so _ well. I’m so proud of you for acting, and I’m so sorry I wasn’t more careful.”

 

“Please be more careful,” Yeri whispers, and Joy nods, burying her face into Yeri’s soft hair, tangling her fingers into her long locks.

 

“I will,” Joy vows. “You won’t have to worry about me again.”

 

“I didn’t say that,” Yeri scolds weakly. “I’m going to take care of you too. I’m not going to be your burden, Joy.”

 

The taller girl pulls away briefly, holding Yeri at arm’s length, gazing at her sadly. 

 

“You don’t have to—”

 

“I  _ want  _ to,” Yeri insists, pushing through Joy’s hold and encircling her arms around Joy’s waist, desperate for contact. “This is my promise. I will look after you too. Please let me have this?”

 

Joy nods again, momentarily squeezing the smaller girl.

 

“Anything for you.”

 

“Let’s go home now?”

 

“Let’s go home.”

 

—

 

**Acacias**

 

On the outcrop overlooking the target warehouse, Seulgi kneels down into the dirt, frowning as the footprints left behind, still fresh. A large, shallow indent in the earth still remains from what must have been hours ago.

 

“Eunji was here,” the leader says, brushing herself off and standing up. Behind her, Irene shifts from where she had been keeping watch. “She’s a sniper, so she was probably stationed out at this outcrop. So when the ambush happened...”

 

“She must have run in as a last resort attempt at trying to save her friends,” Irene finishes. The older girl had been quietly in thought the entire ride here, arriving in Seulgi’s sports car a few minutes before the rest of Seulgi’s runners. “Wendy is probably worried out of her mind.”

 

“She definitely is,” Seulgi agrees, running a distressed hand through her hair at the mental image of her close friend pacing impatiently around her office. “The members of Chorong’s team are some of our most experienced runners— before the outbreak, they’d all been together on a relay team at college. They’re my friends too, Eunji especially, ever since she’d gotten with Wendy...”

 

There’s some noise behind them as two more trucks pull up.

 

“Seulgi!” Moonbyul calls hopping out of one of the driver’s seat while deftly spinning a pistol around a finger as she approaches. The other girls start climbing out as well. “There’s a lot of gang members down there. Sowon and the others are still stationed nearby— they’re the ones who sent the distress.”

 

“Right,” Seulgi nods slowly. She feels a stirring to her right, and a brief glance is more than enough to let her know that Irene has taken position at her shoulder, pressing up against her. It’s comforting amidst the stressing atmosphere, and Seulgi relishes in the simple touch.

 

“Has Sowon notified us of any breaches in their defense?” Irene asks quietly, almost hesitant to exert any authority.

 

Moonbyul casts Seulgi an understanding glance, grinning at the young leader.

 

“You’ve found a good one, Seul,” the older girl chuckles, and Seulgi breaks out into a startled cough, hitting her chest with a fist at the sudden quip. Meanwhile, Moonbyul winks at Irene’s, whose face turns a lovely shade of red, before continuing the relay of information. “Sowon says that they don’t look like they have a strategy, really. There’s just a lot of them, and their ‘patrol patterns,’ if you can even call them that, are sporadic, since they jump at anything that moves.”

 

“Great!” Seulgi enthuses. “Okay, so we run in, guns blazing, and then we take back our friends and get out. Sound good?”

 

Moonbyul smirks. “Received and read. Let’s do this!”

 

“Is this another  _ opportunity cost _ -type of choice?” Irene asks breathlessly as she and Seulgi race towards the trucks to grab a weapon or two.

 

Seulgi shrugs, picking out her signature dual knives before handing a rifle to Irene, which the older girl shoulders.

 

“I guess you can say so, yes? I mean, when it comes to those who are worth the most, sometimes, you just need to  _ act _ and let your heart do the talking.”

 

—

 

**Peonies**

 

Seulgi said that sometimes, it’s best to just act, so that’s exactly what Irene does.

 

The scar on the side of her belly burns as she picks up a discarded axe that had been laying around the rundown warehouse, swinging it with a passion.

 

Perhaps it was the smell of their smoking guns that summoned the zombies to the warehouse. The gang members had long-since fled after Seulgi had led her girls in, guns blazing. They’d saved Eunji, Chorong, Bomi, Naeun, Namjoo, and Hayoung, but they’d also been left to deal with the rogue zombies themselves.

 

Irene had run out of bullets a while ago, so she figures that it’s best to improvise in times of crisis.

 

She has literally no idea where the accuracy comes from, but even Irene has to admit that it must’ve looked pretty badass to any onlookers who just saw her throw her axe, the weapon spinning through the air with vigor, slicing the head of the zombie clean off.

 

_ “Shit,” _ Seulgi curses from behind her, and Irene whirls around to see the younger girl staring at Irene in awe and excitement, her smile goofily wide. There’s a rotting zombie carcass crumbled at Seulgi’s feet, but Irene’s never seen someone look so beautiful.

 

“That was hot,” Seulgi continues, eyes crinkling into crescent-shaped moons, and she lazily meanders her way over to Irene, casually stepping over zombie carcasses like it’s no big deal.

 

Irene flushes. “You think?”

 

She thinks she’s ready to take on the world, with the way Seulgi bobs her head to a rhythm that no one else can hear.

 

—

 

**Irises and Orchids**

 

That night, Yeri exits the bathroom of her and Joy’s shared top floor hotel suite with a towel over her head.

 

“Feeling better?” Joy asks softly, settling down the Edgar Allen Poe book she had been reading on the coffee table. Briefly, she wonders how they’d got here— just a little over a month ago, she’d been fresh out of college, working at a recording company, watching Netflix when she returned home. Now, here she is, having taken over a hotel building, having taken in a stranger whom she’d come to adore in such a short time, having taken up reading classic American literature— the world really had gone to hell.

 

Yeri bobs her head, the towel flopping slightly. She flashes Joy a quick smile.

 

“Much better. Thanks, Joy.”

 

“What’s with the towel on your head?” Joy inquires with a chuckle as Yeri settles on her regular side of the couch. She leans over to tug at a corner playfully, and Yeri squeaks. “You were in there for a while, and I swear I heard the blow dryer.”

 

“I kind of did something,” Yeri admits shyly, and Joy cocks her head, furrows her brow. “But first, I wanted to talk to you about something.”

 

“Of course,” Joy says immediately, straightening up at Yeri’s semi-serious tone. “I can’t tell you how serious I’ll be able to take you, little Miss E.T., but anything for you.”

 

_ Anything.  _ Yeri smiles adoringly. That word again.

 

“Joy, do you feel restless just staying around here?”

 

“All the time,” Joy says honestly. “I feel like a sitting duck. I’ve... I’ve got all of these resources and nothing to do with them.”

 

“I feel similar,” Yeri says slowly. She takes a deep breath. “Listen, I have an idea, and you don’t have to agree with it, but hear me out?”

 

“Of course,” Joy says again.

 

“I want to try to get to your ex-girlfriend and her friends.”

 

Joy stares at Yeri, stunned.

 

“You said that they were developing a cure, right? You said it yourself: you have so many resources, but you can’t do anything with them by just staying here. You—  _ we, _ ” Yeri corrects before continuing, “could do so much  _ good _ if we find them. They- they can’t create a cure if they’re dead, and what if they asked you to bring supplies because they’re limited? I know it’s dangerous to try and travel so far— you don’t have to agree. If you don’t want to go, Joy, then we won’t go. I’m loyal to you, first and foremost. But please just consider it?”

 

Joy nods slowly, the gears churning, loud and abrasive, before it just stops. It all makes sense.

 

She rises from the couch and casts Yeri a small smile.

 

“Let’s go to bed, Yeri. We have a long day tomorrow.”

 

Yeri blinks, cocking her head in confusion. “We do? What are we doing?”

 

“Well,” Joy shrugs. “We have a lot of weapons, but our food stocks are good enough just for us at the moment. If we want to help them out, we’re going to have to plunder a bit more.”

 

“Wait, we’re—” Yeri stops, dancing in her seat for a brief moment. Joy looks on adoringly as she composes herself and looks at Joy with wide eyes. “Just like that? Are you sure?”

 

“Absolutely,” Joy giggles, bopping Yeri on the nose. “Remember? Anything for you. Now, are you going to take off that funny towel?”

 

“Oh!” Yeri brightens at the mention of the towel, as though she’d temporarily forgotten about it. “I wanted to do something... cement my promise to look out for you, so...”

 

The towel comes off her head, and Joy gapes.

 

“You cut your hair?!” She reaches forward to thumb the end of Yeri’s short locks of her, just edging out the younger girl’s chin. “Yeri...”

 

“Do you like it?” Yeri asks, looking up at Joy bashfully through her lashes. She bites her lip as she meets Joy’s sparkling gaze.

 

“I love it,” Joy says, beaming at her, and Yeri blushes. “You look beautiful.”

 

“Thank you, Joy.”

 

—

 

**Irises**

 

Yeri’s not quite sure where Joy gets the pickup truck from— the older girl just winks at her and tells her not to worry. By this point, Yeri’s more than learned to just trust Joy and her tendencies to somehow make things work out, so she shrugs it off and goes with it.

 

It takes around a month for them to prepare everything, but by the end of it, they’re hopping into the driver and passenger seats of Joy’s truck full of weapons, food, Joy’s motorcycle, and plenty of gas, looking back wistfully at the hotel that had become such a familiar home for the both of them.

 

“Bye-bye,” Yeri calls out the window to no one in particular, waving farewell to the building that remained tall and proud in the middle of such chaos. She struggles to keep a straight face, feeling tears prick at the corner of her eyes as she realizes that she may very well never see this place again. “Thank you for keeping us safe all this time!”   
  


Then, she climbs down into the passenger seat, taking deep breaths to try and collect her feelings.

 

From the passenger seat, Joy shoots her a sympathetic look, extending her left hand and squeezing Yeri’s smaller hand in her own.

 

“I don’t know why I’m crying,” Yeri laughs, swiping at the liquid escaping her eyes. “It’s just a building. You’re not crying, Joy, and you lived there longer than I did, so I don’t know why I am.”

 

Joy shakes her head in understanding, her lips getting tugged up, and affectionate expression overtaking.

 

“I’m just too used to things being temporary,” Joy admits, almost regretfully, and Yeri knows better than to pry. “But, if it makes you feel any better, I grew to love this place too. I’m going to miss it a lot— and my bed.”

 

“We’ll find somewhere better,” Yeri finds herself resolutely saying. “We’ll find a place even better than this.”

 

“That’s the spirit,” Joy enthuses, grinning.

 

And just like that, they’re off.

 

—

 

**Peonies**

 

It’s 3AM in the morning when Irene bolts up from her bed and races into the neighboring top-floor suite room.

 

(A month ago, Irene had opted to take another top-floor suite the moment she found out that Seulgi was the single resident at the top of the hotel— the young leader had managed to persuade its other residents to reside on the lower levels, given how in the event of an attack, they would have an easier time evacuating than those towards the top.

 

Irene had heard none of it, refusing to let Seulgi remain lonely, and had begged Seulgi with perfect puppy dog eyes to allow her to join the younger girl.)

 

“Seulgi!” Irene shouts, crawling onto the bed and shaking the girl writhing in the white bedsheets by the shoulders. “Seulgi! You’re having a nightmare! Wake up!”

 

And Seulgi wakes up with a gasp, like she’d been underwater for too long and she’d just broken the surface. Her breaths are ragged and short, and she chokes out a sob before burying her face in her hands, trying to hide from the other girl.

 

“Seulgi…”

 

Irene wraps her arms around the quivering girl, pressing her lips into the top of her head.

 

“I’m here.”

 

“…I know you are. I’m glad… I’m glad that you’re up here with me.”

 

The words come coarse, like Seulgi’s having difficulty speaking them.

 

Irene wishes that she could take all the pain away; wishes that everything beneath the surface was as calm as what the exterior perceived— like a swan gliding across the water, Irene wonders how hard Seulgi is kicking her feet to stay afloat.

  
“…I’m here for you. Really. I’m not going anywhere.”

 

“…I know you are.” A deep breath. “I think I’m ready now.”

 

Irene stays quiet as she listens to Seulgi talk about growing up alone in a house full of people— she spent most of her childhood up in her room, drawing, planning, dreaming. Little Seulgi wouldn’t have to wait long to get her big break. Her parents had been scientists, and they’d opted to spend every waking moment at Kang Laboratories.

 

“I never knew what they were doing,” Seulgi says, staring up at the ceiling, Irene curled up to her side. “I never knew… and when I did, it was too late.”

 

Irene’s brow furrows. “What was too late?”

 

Seulgi sighs, and Irene mutely intertwines their fingers.

 

“My mother was terminal,” Seulgi finally says quietly, heartbeats later. “There was a point in time when I never saw her— she never left her room, and soon after, I left for university. I had no idea that she was dying, Irene— I had no idea that she was practically dead!” Seulgi’s practically shouting, but Irene chooses to remain silent. “I- I… You can’t bring back the dead, Irene. You  _ can’t _ . But that’s  _ exactly what my father tried to do.” _

 

There’s a poignant silence that seems to echo off the walls, and Irene is speechless. Her mind runs at a mile a minute, trying to make sense of the phrase that just left Seulgi’s lips.

 

“Wait. You mean to tell me that…?”

 

“That my parents are the reason that we’re actually living in a zombie apocalypse?” Seulgi laughs bitterly. “That’s  _ exactly _ what I’m telling you. And you know what? Both of them died because of it.”

 

“Seulgi…” Irene shakes her head, clutching Seulgi’s hand tight. “Please don’t tell me you’re taking this on yourself.”

 

“I could’ve stopped them, Irene!” Seulgi exclaims, and Irene frowns. “I could’ve swayed my father, maybe I could’ve taken care of my mother! Instead, I hardly even knew them, I grew up hating them, and now I’ll never get the chance. I- I can’t lose anyone else, Irene! I can’t!” 

 

More silence.

 

“…I know you have regrets, Seulgi,” Irene whispers, biting her lip. “I know you’re hurting. Your intentions are in a good place, they really are. But please,  _ please _ don’t ever think that  _ any  _ of this was your fault.”

 

“How can I ever find peace with myself?” Seulgi sighs again, squeezing her eyes shut tight in distress. “I can’t change the past, I  _ know  _ that. So how…?”

 

“I don’t know,” Irene admits. She tucks herself further into Seulgi’s side, and the taller girl outstretches her arm to pull Irene in closer. She breathes out, prompting Seulgi to do the same, and they simply lie next to each other, taking comfort in the closeness.

 

“I don’t know yet,” Irene repeats. “But we’ll find out together, Seulgi.”

 


	2. you, who looked up at the blazing red sky

 

**Irises**

 

Being on the road gives Yeri a lot of time to think— well, when they’re not plundering from uninhibited areas, fighting or running away from zombies, or salvaging as much gas from the abandoned gas stations. Still, she has a lot of time to kill, that’s for sure.

 

“What’s going on in that head of yours?” Joy asks one day as Yeri packs up their camping gear from the night before and Joy puts out the fire (they come to find that the zombies tend to stay away from fire, so they make sure to set one up before bed every night, to ward them away).

 

“I never really stopped to think about all the people I knew before the outbreak,” Yeri reveals, rolling up a sleeping bag. “I had so many friends at school, and I have no idea where any of them are now… Ah… I miss Saeron…”

 

“Saeron?” Joy questions, keeping her inquiring tone light. “Who’s that?”

 

“She’s my best friend,” Yeri says, not missing the way she still uses the present tense.

 

And Joy’s face is the epitome of casual. “I see…”

 

“I wonder if she’s okay…” Yeri trails off, not really knowing where she’s going with this. “We were really close. I liked her a lot…”

 

She wants to smack herself for admitting that out loud, especially in front of Joy.

 

“I’m sure she’s fine though,” Yeri continues, in an attempt to salvage the situation. “Her family was incredibly well off, so she’s probably doing fine.”

 

“I’m sure she is too.” Joy’s tone of voice is unreadable, and Yeri hates how she can’t distinguish what’s in it. “I’m sure your other friends and family members are doing well too.”

 

“I sure hope so,” is all Yeri says, and they both let the topic drop as Yeri asks about how much ground the older girl thinks they’ll be able to cover today.

 

—

 

**Acacias**

 

Seulgi doesn’t want to believe what she’s seeing, but there it is.

 

She stares through the open door of Wendy’s office numbly. As she stares, Irene stares right back, with wide eyes and no words leaving her mouth. Her discarded shirt is gripped loosely in her hands, as she stands in front of Wendy in nothing but a sports bra.

 

But Seulgi isn’t looking at Irene’s face, not even at Wendy’s dumbstruck expression. No, she’s just looking at the clear scar of a bite mark on the side of Irene’s stomach.

 

“That mark looks like a…” Seulgi trails off expressionlessly. _A zombie bite._

 

Irene tries to take a step towards her. “Seulgi—”

 

“You said that we’d find out together.” It’s an accusation. A betrayal.

 

Seulgi leaves before Irene even gets a chance to answer.

 

—

 

**Orchids**

 

When Yeri sighs for the fifth time in the last two minutes, Joy finally turns away from the fire she’s finished building and asks what’s wrong.

 

Yeri sighs yet again, and Joy feels a dull ache in her chest area.

 

“Nothing,” the younger girl says, “Just wondering about my family and their whereabouts again.”

 

“And Saeron’s location too, then,” Joy concludes, and the dull ache continues to pulse irritatingly in place. She lets out a breath, running a tired hand through her hair. “I’m sorry, Yeri. I wish I knew a way to find out if they were okay.”

 

“You don’t have anything to be sorry for,” Yeri smiles wearily, just as exhausted as Joy. It had been a long day of driving, avoiding zombies whenever possible. Yeri had shot quite a few from her spot in the passenger seat, mainly out of precaution more than anything. “You’re always doing the best for me, Joy. I don’t think I say thank you enough, so thank you.”

 

“Anything for you,” is Joy’s immediate response, and she motions for Yeri to come closer. The short-haired girl scoots closer to Joy eagerly, tucking herself under Joy’s protective arm. “Get some sleep, yeah? I’ll take first watch.”

 

“Do you ever get bored?” Yeri asks amidst a yawn, making herself comfortable. “Y’know, while taking watch and all?”

 

“Not really,” Joy chuckles, smoothing out some of Yeri’s tousled locks. “Not when you’re with me.”

 

“Really?” Yeri smiles sleepily at Joy’s nod, her eyes already closed. “That’s funny. Me too.”

 

—

 

**Acacias**

 

A few days pass and Seulgi has had enough dancing around. She’s _tired_ and _sad,_ and she thinks she’s actually getting physically sick from not being near Irene— the Irene-shaped hole in her heart seems to be getting wider by the hour.

 

"Irene," Seulgi murmurs lowly, and the older girl flinches, hands coming to wrap themselves around her own body. Seulgi feels herself sweat from the heat, yet Irene shivers as if she's cold. The younger girl had to resist the urge to reach out and pull Irene into her own embrace, tuck Irene under her chin and hold her there. "Irene, what are you doing?"

 

"I'm just tired, Seulgi," Irene says, but Seulgi isn't fazed by the dismissal in the slightest. She frowns at Irene's obvious avoidance of the topic. "Why have you come into my room?"

 

"Because I want answers," Seulgi says bluntly, taking one step forward as Irene immediately takes one step back. "Why were you with Wendy?"

 

"She was doing an examination," Irene mumbles. Her hands subconsciously reach for her blanket, and Seulgi momentarily fixates on how she kneads the covers with anxious fingers.

 

Seulgi shakes her head. "You're the healthiest girl in camp, Irene. I was there during that first examination. So why?" She pauses. "Why was your shirt off?" That didn't come out right. "What was that mark on your skin?"

 

Irene flinches as Seulgi subtlety brushes the side of her stomach through the thin cloth of her white t-shirt.

 

"Please, Seulgi," Irene whispers, so softly, so painfully, that the sound grates against Seulgi's ears. She's never heard Irene say her name with that type of desperation before. "Please. I don't want to change this. I don't want to lose what I have already. Not when it's all slipping out of my grasp already."

 

Seulgi does her best to keep her composure, keep her sanity, keep herself steady. But with the broken way that Irene looks at her, she's having the hardest time of her life. Seulgi has faced the dead alive, but even they can't make her feel like she's being stabbed through the heart with their eyes alone— not like Irene.

 

"You haven't lost anything," Seulgi says, trying to soothe the troubled girl. "You haven't, and you won't. But please, Irene. Something has changed, and I need to know. I care for you so much, Hyun. I... It hurts, okay?" Seulgi's voice suddenly turns quiet, and it's like time comes to a standstill as Irene looks at her in shock. "It hurts to know that there's something you're hiding from me, even after all this time."

 

Memories of hugging Irene to sleep flash through her mind, memories of gentle smiles and feather-light touches, memories of growing so close to Irene, who stole her breath the moment she first laid eyes on the smaller girl, and Seulgi's heart aches.

 

And there's silence.

 

"...I didn't want to hide," Irene murmurs, and Seulgi's gaze finally snaps up from where it's been looking at the wooden floor beneath them. "I didn't want to hide anything, Seulgi. Not from Wendy, or the rest of our friends, and certainly not you. But I was scared."

 

Irene's voice breaks and she hugs herself self-consciously, shivering once more. She sniffs, eyes getting watery.

 

Seulgi can't take it anymore. She makes a motion to step closer, but is stopped when Irene shakes her head.

 

"No, don't come closer," Irene whispers. "Hear me out first. Let me tell you my side. Decide whether you want to come closer after. Opportunity cost and economic theory, right?" It’s a weak smile that she sends Seulgi’s way, but it’s something.

 

Seulgi can't do anything but nod for Irene to continue, and the other girl smiles gratefully before sitting down on the bed. Irene pats the space on the comforter nearby, and Seulgi complies, leaving a good two feet of space between them.

 

"Do you remember when you first met me? When you saved me from those two men?"

 

Seulgi frowns. Of course she can remember that. She'd never felt rage like that before— she's never been that angry for _anyone_ before, let alone a complete stranger.

 

"I told you that I didn't know why they had wanted me," Irene continues, looking remorseful. "That was a lie. I knew full well why they wanted me.

 

"What you oversaw, Seulgi, in Wendy's office earlier? That mark?" Irene chuckles dryly, shaking her head and taking a moment to lift her shift slightly. Seulgi's eyes widen, finally able to see the mark in its full glory. She'd been unable to see the full sight earlier, with Irene not having been facing her, but now? That mark looks awfully like a—

 

"It's a bite mark," Irene says gravely, and Seulgi feels everything come crashing down, mind whirling with all this new information. "Back before I went to Shelter with my family, I was bitten by a zombie."

 

"Oh my god..." Seulgi says in disbelief, her eyes never leaving the scar.

 

Irene smiles sadly at the younger girl.

 

"For some reason, I never turned. I felt just fine. So I went to Shelter with the rest of my family, evacuating with everyone else. I didn't tell anyone of the bite; I thought it would interfere with the evacuation if I said something. But I still didn't trust myself. So the first thing I did after admission was lock myself in my assigned room for days on end. I must've stayed in my room for a whole week, afraid of turning into a zombie... But nothing happened."

 

"You're immune," Seulgi breathes in awe, taking in Irene's appearance with a new perspective. "You're really immune."

 

"I am," Irene admits, the expression on her face frustrated in conflict. "Those two men who you saved me from? They found out as well. I'm not quite sure how, but they did. So they decided to test me. They posed as doctors in Shelter and knocked me unconscious. While I was passed out, they injected the venom of the living dead into me and waited for it to spread, but it never did."

 

"So they stole you away," Seulgi concludes, and something inside of her shatters at the heartbroken look on Irene's face. "They took you because they wanted to profit. You were scared that if you told us about your immunity, someone might have wanted to do the same."

 

Irene hesitates but nods in the end.

 

"I'm sorry," she whimpers. "I'm sorry I didn't trust you. I'm sorry I lied and hid things. I'm sorry that I'm not worthy of your friendship. I'm sorry I'm such an awful—”

 

And that's when the tightening coil in Seulgi's stomach snaps.

 

She lunges at Irene and throws her arms around the older girl's torso, pulling Irene in close. Irene lets out a weak cry but grips onto her shirt, her arms so tightly, and Seulgi throws any resolve to hold back her growing love out the window, never to be seen again.

 

"Don't finish that sentence," Seulgi says into Irene's ear, pressing a succession of quick kisses onto the top of Irene's head. "Don't you dare. You are perfect, Bae Joohyun. And I will spend the rest of my life proving it to you. I'm sorry for pushing you, I'm sorry for making you tell me this. I'm sorry that you had to go through such an awful experience. I'm sorry I couldn't have suffered with you. But I'm here now, Hyun, and I will keep you safe. You are worth it, Irene. You are _so_ worth it."

 

"I don't deserve you," Irene rasps out, but doesn't dare move, only melts into Seulgi's embrace even further.

 

"Nonsense," Seulgi replies, pulling her closer. "You deserve the world, Hyun. I— I’ve lost so many people to this stupid outbreak… and it’s all my parents’ fault that the world is like this. I’m sorry, Hyun. I was just so worried about losing you... I should’ve trusted you more."

 

Irene only shakes her head wordlessly, the unspoken words, _we move on,_ permeating through what little space between them.

 

And then a thought occurs, and Seulgi almost doesn't want to say it.

 

"Irene," she says lowly, and Irene shudders at the sudden change of tone, looking away. "Irene, look at me. Is that all that those men did to you?"

 

The grief-stricken expression that overtakes Irene's perfect features speaks thousands of more words than her lips ever could.

 

"I'm going to murder them," Seulgi growls, her grip on Irene tightening. "I will find them and murder them in their sleep."

 

"Seulgi!" Irene gasps, shaking her head. She pushes herself upwards, trying to placate the fiery leader with soft kisses. "Oh, please don't! Don't leave me, Seulgi! Not even for something like this."

 

"They did more than just hurt you, Irene!" Seulgi nearly shouts, and Irene flinches, shrinking away. Immediately, the young leader understands what she's just done and shakes herself out of it, trying to push her anger away. Perhaps now is not the time.

 

"I know those men did awful, awful things," Irene whispers, "but I just want to be with you right now, Seul. I- I wish I could've made it up to you better..."

 

"Then let me have this," Seulgi interrupts, looking into Irene's eyes meaningfully. The older girl's orbs reflect her own dark ones right back at her, and she leans forward to nuzzle their noses together. "Do you trust me, Irene?"

 

"I do," Irene says without hesitation, immediately bringing her arms to loop around Seulgi's neck, hugging her close. "I trust you more than anyone else in the remainder of this world."

 

"Then let me have this," Seulgi repeats. Carefully, she presses a kiss against Irene's lips, firmly, gently, steadily. She pulls away, breathing hard, and Irene's flushed face is what greets her. "Let me wash it all away. Let me take it all away. Let me try and make you feel better. Let me love you."

 

"Always," Irene breathes back, and Seulgi can almost hear her heart pounding, right next to the beating drum of her own. It's so loud, so warm and welcoming, that if Seulgi would freeze time, she'd freeze it right here and now. There is nothing better than this feeling.

 

And when Seulgi's lips ultimately brush against the scar marring the side of Irene's stomach, the younger girl feels her lover shiver.

 

"Whose is this?" She asks suddenly. She uses a finger to tenderly trace the mark. When she looks up, she's met with Irene blinking dazedly at her through bleary, unfocused eyes. Seulgi chuckles at the sight before pressing yet another open mouthed kiss to the spot, and Irene shudders.

 

"Whose is this?" She asks Irene again, and the older girl has to choke back a sob.

 

"Yours," Irene gasps, tears threatening to spill. "It's all yours— oh, Seulgi!" She cups Seulgi's face, gingerly pulling her up so that they're face-to-face yet again. "You don't need to take my burdens!"

 

"But I want to," Seulgi says, nothing but love pouring from every ounce of her body, and she lets Irene pull her into a hard kiss. She feels the tears trickling down Irene's cheeks and she smiles into the kiss, willingly nipping away at Irene's sadness.

 

—

 

**Irises**

 

“Yeri! _Pssst,_ Yeri! Wake up!”

 

“Hmm…? Joy?” Yeri blinks blearily, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. “Is something wrong? Are there zombies nearby?”

 

“No, nothing like that. Just quick, hurry and get up!” There’s a childlike excitement in Joy’s tone that Yeri’s never heard before, and that alone gives her the motivation to hoist herself up and see what Joy’s so lively about. “You’ll want to see this, I promise.”

 

Yeri nods dumbly, finally reaching a sitting position—

 

—but then she’s looking up at the most beautiful ocean of stars that she’s ever seen.

 

“Oh my god,” she whispers, and she tears her awed gaze away to look at Joy beside her, who stares up at the sky in innocent wonder. “Joy…”

 

“Isn’t it beautiful?” Joy comments, awestruck. She speaks quietly, like she’s telling Yeri a secret that no one else is allowed to hear. It makes Yeri feel special, to be sharing this moment with Joy, and yet—

 

 _Oh, but_ you’re _the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, unnie._

 

Yeri can’t get the words out right now, not when they’re lodged in her throat and she’s not sure about whether she’s been reading the signs right or wrong but _oh, does she want to with all her heart._ So she vows to herself, silent and personal, that she’ll tell Joy one day, when she’s brave enough, strong enough; when she can protect Joy like Joy protects her— and she’s working on it, she really is.

 

So instead,

 

“It’s almost a shame that only the cellphone towers went down and not just electricity in general.”

 

And Joy laughs at that, loud and bright and clear, and the sound roots its way into Yeri’s heart before circling back up towards the river of stars above.

 

“You say that now,” Joy chuckles, “but don’t lie to me, Kim Yerim, you miss your long hair and curling iron.”

 

“I absolutely love my short hair, thank you very much!” Yeri laughs, flicking her short locks playfully. “Why, do I look better with long hair, Joy?”

 

“I think you look beautiful no matter what hairstyle,” Joy replies smoothly, and Yeri blushes back into speechlessness.

 

“Yeah, well, same for you too,” she mumbles under her breath thirty seconds later.

 

Oh, what Yeri would do to pocket a little bit of Joy’s laughter to listen to whenever she gets lonely.

 

—

 

**Peonies**

 

“So...” Seulgi starts, a few hours later, propping herself up on one elbow, gazing down at Irene with something akin to wonder in her eyes.

 

Irene giggles, shifting so that she can look up at the other girl, her long, dark hair spreading out on the pillow beneath her.

 

“What’s up, Seul?”

 

“I’ve just been thinking... so you _really_ can’t turn into a zombie or something like that?”

 

Irene raises an eyebrow. She thought that they’d been over this enough already.

 

“I _really_ can’t,” she chuckles, though she grows more confused at the sight of Seulgi pouting.

 

“Are you sure?” Seulgi presses. “Like, no urges to, say, take a bite out of someone or anything?”

 

“One hundred percent positive,” Irene affirms, only to let out a laugh as Seulgi’s pout deepens. “Why? Isn’t that a good thing? I’m not going to eat anyone anytime soon.”

 

“I mean, yeah, that’s great and all,” Seulgi grumbles, huffing with a shrug. “But I really wanted to say something, and I don’t think I can now since the context is kind of ruined.”

 

Irene can’t help but get more confused at Seulgi’s words. What on earth is this getting on about?

 

“Well, what were you going to say? Just tell me now.”

 

“I was gonna ask you _why are you looking at me like that?”_

 

The older girl furrows her brow.

 

“‘Looking at you’ like what?”

 

“Like you want to eat me,” Seulgi replies, followed by a quick wink.

 

Irene breaks out into a coughing fit, hitting her chest repeatedly to stop herself from choking over nothing, before the coughing dissolves into pure laughter. She laughs her heart out as Seulgi joins her, the young leader muffling her own silent laughter into her white pillow.

 

She laughs and laughs and laughs, until her chuckles die down and she and Seulgi just stare at each other silently, humongous grins on their faces.

 

“That was awful!” She managed to choke out through her hiccuping giggles.

 

Irene vaguely registers how her stomach hurts from laughing too hard, thinks for a brief second about how she’s still struggling to compose herself as she stares at the twinkling stars in Seulgi’s beaming eyes.

 

Loving Seulgi hurts, she decides quietly. Loving Seulgi hurts like nothing she’s ever felt before— the feeling of being so weightless that she can’t even believe it, like there’s no way it can be true. Hurts like the thrill of jumping off the side of the cliff, the loss of breath, only to plunge into the crisp cool of the deep blue abyss below. Hurts like the feeling of breaking for air. Hurts like Irene can _breathe_ for the first time in a century.

 

And it feels _so damn good._

 

—

 

**Orchids**

 

Joy doesn’t really know what to think about the man standing in front of the ridiculously large dome in the middle of the desert. He stands at the entrance of the strange… building? – is that what it is? – like he’s been waiting for them, his hands held behind his back, his expression one of patience.

 

They pull up hesitantly in front of him, and when Joy deliberately gets out of the truck, Yeri immediately latches onto her arm, never one to admit her fear out loud.

 

“Who are you?” Joy demands, hoping that the slight wavering in her voice doesn’t give away her apprehension. _No fear, no emotion, no nothing. Don’t let them take advantage of you._

 

“You may call me Mr. Lee,” the man tells them, and Joy narrows her eyes at him suspiciously as he sweeps his arm back grandiosely. “And _this_ is Shelter! The safest place on the planet. Please follow me inside.”

 

“Why should we trust you?” Yeri finally speaks, snapping at the man with caution.

 

“Because the rest of your family is here,” Mr. Lee replies, and Joy feels Yeri stiffen at her side. “They’ve told me a lot about you, Miss Kim Yerim.”

 

And that’s how Joy finds herself following the mysterious man through the dome’s lengthy tunnel, Yeri gripping her hand so hard that Joy’s sure that it’ll leave a bruise, aching and sore, later.

 

—

 

**Forget-Me-Nots**

 

Wendy bites her lip, fingers twiddling, aching to do something productive, but she's already completed all of her tasks for the day, as well as done her rounds around camp, asking if anyone needed tending to.

 

Fortunately, everyone present had been in tip-top shape and there had been nothing to worry about. Unfortunately, that had left Wendy with nothing but her own thoughts to accompany her for the last hour or so.

 

Her mind drifts to her conversation with Irene from earlier. The older girl had wanted to speak with her about... arrangements and the future. Seulgi had been present as well, much to Wendy's relief— it was good to see their relationship thriving so beautifully after hitting a bit of a rough patch a few days ago.

 

Still, while her conversation with the two of them had confirmed many suspicions, it had also left her with plenty more questions.

 

Just when she's getting lost in thought, Wendy perks up as the door opens slightly, and a very welcoming face pokes her head into the room.

 

"Wan? You okay?"

 

“You’re back!”

 

Wendy practically jumps onto the returning runner, flying across the room to throw her arms around Eunji.

 

“Whoa,” Eunji chuckles, willingly wrapping an arm around Wendy’s waist and tugging her in closer to plant a chaste kiss on her girlfriend’s lips. “This is a new greeting. Should I leave on long supply runs more often?”

 

“Don’t you dare,” Wendy demands, looking as threatening as a puppy being denied their favorite chew toy.  “When you’re not here and I’m left to my own devices, I do nothing but worry about everything.”

 

“Everything?” Eunji frowns, gently steering them over to the nearby patient bed. Wendy lets her recline them both back, leaning back onto Eunji’s chest and just _breathing._ “What’s wrong, Wan? What’s on your mind?”

 

“There’s so much,” Wendy sighs, closing her eyes. “There’s just so much.”

 

She hates being a bother. She hates opening up. She hates stealing someone else’s precious time, especially in this day, when their worlds are being pulled apart at the seams.

 

But this is _Eunji._

 

Eunji, who’s been nothing but helpful, who never hesitates to tell Wendy her frustrations, who promises that they’ll get through everything together. Eunji, who is funny, and warm, and sweet, who _loves_ her like Wendy’s never been loved before. Eunji, who Wendy wants nothing more than to spend the rest of her life with.

 

So she spills.

 

She talks about Irene, and her immunity to this disease— the solution had been right in front of their noses this whole time. She talks about how she'd felt numb for a moment, before Irene had told her about the men who had bound her and knocked her unconscious, who had done unforgivable acts to her and stole her away from her family. She talks about how her mind is twisting her up, and how she wonders if it's fair to even ask Irene to help them with finding a cure— would it not be the same as taking advantage of her friend?

 

"But Irene was the one who approached you earlier, correct? Did she not offer her help?" Eunji asks.

 

"She did," Wendy admits, fiddling with their intertwined fingers. "She told me that she's willing to do any amount of tests, give me as many samples of her blood as needed, in order to help me find a solution. But after all Irene's been through, after the human race has wronged her before, is it even fair to have her help us?"

 

Eunji hums, and Wendy feels the slightly taller girl drop her chin to rest on Wendy's shoulder.

 

"Don't forget that Irene is human too," Eunji reasons gently, and from where their cheeks are pressed together, Wendy can feel Eunji's soft smile. "Sure, she's been wronged by her captors before, but look at how her life has changed! She met Seulgi, and now the two of them are so very much in love. She met you, and she's more than willing to trust you with her life. Irene might have been taken from her first family, but she's found another one here, with _us,_ a ragtag team of survivors. She's eager to leave all the bad that's happened in the past because she cares about us.”

 

Wendy breathes in, and Eunji casually traces an ‘I,’ ‘L,’ and ‘Y,’ onto the back of her hand with her thumb.

 

“So I should ask— no, _let_ Irene help,” Wendy concludes, a tired smile finally playing on her lips.

 

Eunji simply smiles.

 

“I trust you, Wan. I know that whatever you choose, you’ll manage to do the right thing in the end. I’m here for you, always.”

 

—

 

**Irises**

 

Yeri had never expected to see her parents again, but by no means does it stop her from covering her mouth and choking back a sob before getting engulfed in a hug by her family.

 

"Mom!" She weeps into her mother's arms, her father hastily joining in from behind, and her siblings filling in the cracks. "Dad! Oh my god, you're all here and you're all safe!"

 

"We were so worried!" Her mother cries into Yeri's short hair. "We thought— we thought—"

 

"I'm safe, mom," Yeri assured her, smiling through the wet tears streaming down her face. Fleetingly, she peeks through the hug, peering out curiously at Joy, who stands back to give them room. She shares a smile with the older girl. "I'm completely safe. Look! This is Joy! She kept me safe and taught me how to su—"

 

"Yeri?" A new voice cuts in, and Yeri freezes.

 

Slowly, her family steps away from their daughter, smiling reassure fly at Yeri. Soon enough, they've parted enough for Yeri to see the face of the girl who Yeri had been so willing to give her heart to, only a mere few months ago. Saeron’s changed very little, Yeri’s noticed; her hair has grown longer but other than that, she’s still the same Saeron that Yeri once knew and loved. Yeri, on the other hand, with her short hair and off-shoulder sweater— well, suffice to say, even Yeri can acknowledge the change in herself.

 

"Saeron?"

 

Not even a second later, she's wrapped in Saeron's taller embrace, her face screaming in happiness with the younger girl.

 

"You're okay!"

 

"I am! I— oh god, Yerim, I wanted to wait for you but they couldn't hold the trucks and I didn't know where you were, but then the café owner said that you'd been buried under a collapsed ceiling and I didn't know what to do and—"

 

"Shhh, Ron!" Yeri laughs, reaching up to wipe away Saeron's tears and halt her blubbering. "I'm here now, and I'm safe."

 

"I know," Saeron says breathlessly. "And I'm so glad. You've made it to safety now, Yerim. There's no need to be afraid anymore."

 

"Oh," Yeri blinks, almost in confusion, at the word _afraid_. Like a foreign concept. "Actually, I've been great."

 

When had that happened? When had that fear that had once instilled itself so firmly into Yeri's heart evaporate into essentially nothingness? When had Yeri stopped fearing for her life and just allowed herself to thrive? She finds that she can't remember the last time she'd felt a true fear of the undead roaming just outside of Shelter's secure walls.

 

 _With Joy_ , she figures eventually, mulling over the concept for a few seconds, _there hasn't really been anything to fear_. Joy is freedom and protection and exhilaration. The older girl somehow manages to show her something new about loving life every single day, and Yeri wonders if she'll ever be able to adjust to the uneventful life of a Shelter citizen.

 

"I don't think I've been scared of anything for a while," Yeri says nonchalantly, - _well, besides the creepy man who runs this place -_ shrugging at the way Saeron's eyes bug out at the admission. "It's true. Joy and I protect each other."

 

"Joy?" Saeron questions, and it occurs to Yeri that her oblivious best friend hasn't even registered her companion's presence.

 

"Yeah," Yeri nods, motioning to the taller girl. "This is Joy."

 

"Ohhhh," Saeron says, her mouth forming the round letter. However, she makes no further motion of acknowledge.

 

Yeri frowns. Behind her, Joy stands off to the side on her own, looking visibly tense, her limbs tight and taut just barely, as though she's forcing herself to relax. But Joy's dark brown eyes shift warily, and Yeri feels bad. The older girl looks awfully like a caged bird, even in this enormous dome that well obscures the sky.

 

"Joy," Yeri murmurs, breaking away from her reunion with Saeron and her family, her arms automatically outreaching for Joy's comforting figure. She steps into the taller's space, just as she'd become so accustomed to over these past two months, resting her cheek on the crook of Joy's shoulder and lightly encircling her arms around Joy's waist. "Are you okay?"

 

Only then does Yeri feel Joy sigh, relaxing into Yeri's hold as she returns the embrace.

 

"Yeah," Joy mumbles into Yeri's hair, closing her eyes. Her fingers lose themselves into the soft fabric of Yeri's off-shoulder sweater. "I'm good. Just a bit tired."

 

“You sure?” The question comes out muffled, spoken softly.

 

“Yeah,” Joy repeats. _Anything for you._ “I’m fine, don’t worry about me. You should be celebrating with your family and friend now. I’m sure you’re dying to tell them about everything that’s happened.”

 

—

 

**Peonies**

 

“I think I forgot to mention how I’m awful with pointy things,” Irene says warily, eyeing the rather large needle in Wendy’s hand. She shifts nervously in place, fiddling with the hem of her shirt before sighing. “I’m sorry, Wendy. I must be making things difficult for you.”

 

The doctor chuckles, shaking her head understandingly. “No worries, Irene. Plenty of people are scared of needles. Eunji’s absolutely awful with them, as tough as she appears to be.” Wendy throws a teasing glance over her shoulder at her girlfriend observing from the corner of the room before nodding at Seulgi. “Well, I can’t say I didn’t plan ahead— this is why I asked Seulgi to come too.”

 

“Irene’s number one distraction, reporting for duty!” Seulgi cheers, saluting her friend and settling down next to Irene. “Ready for storytime, Hyun?”

 

“Oh no,” Irene groans playfully, already getting a feeling that this would be yet another one of Seulgi’s humorous tales, but she leans in to listen eagerly nonetheless. “Don’t you have anything better to do, Seul?”

 

“Not really,” Seulgi chirps. “Besides, you’re _so_ worth it, Hyun.”

 

The next ten minutes are spent listening to Seulgi recount a story from university, when she and her two closest friends, Moonbyul and Eunae (two of Seulgi’s most trusted runners to this day), had decided to pull the best and most subtle prank ever by sticking googly eyes on every single picture, poster, and piece of artwork on campus, enlisting an entire group of students to help them on their quest to cause as much mass confusion as possible. No one had apparently questioned the googly eyes aloud to any authority for a full week, and Seulgi, Moonbyul, and Eunae had laughed the week away.

 

“Did you ever get caught?” Irene questions, only to bark out a laugh at Seulgi’s answering sly smirk. “Of course you didn’t. Why did I even bother asking?”

 

“Who knows, Hyun,” Seulgi drawls lazily. She points at her arm. “That’s a nice pink Band-Aid you’ve got right there, by the way.”

 

Irene’s furrows her brow. “Band-Aid? I don’t have a— whoa!” She doesn’t remember Wendy ever pressing the sticky piece of thin plastic onto her skin— she doesn’t even remember Wendy ever inserting the needle into her vein. _What on earth?_ “When did that get there?”

 

“You were so invested in Seulgi’s story that you didn’t even notice me taking a sample,” Wendy giggles, already putting away all her medical instruments. That was enough for today; analysis can wait for tomorrow, after a good night’s sleep. “Or putting the Band-Aid, for that matter. You didn’t even flinch! It was amazing. Eunji sure wasn’t like that”

 

“Well in my defense, it’s different when it’s _your_ girlfriend who’s holding the needle!” Eunji protests with a huff. She crosses her arms and pouts, but Irene watches her melt into a puddle when Wendy presses a quick kiss to her cheek. “And maybe I was scared too. But that’s irrelevant.”

 

—

 

**Orchids**

 

Joy watches the younger girl in the boisterous dining hall quietly, watches Yeri smile and laugh with her family, smile and laugh with Saeron— she just looks so _carefree._ How could she possibly ask Yeri to step away from all of _that?_ How could she ask Yeri to leave what is virtually paradise?

 

She silently slips away, heading up into their temporary shared room— _temporary._ Joy hates that word with a passion. Everything is temporary. Her family had been temporary; the car accident in her youth had stolen it away (she still refuses to ride in the passenger seat to this day). Her homes after that had been temporary; no foster family had wanted to keep her (“Too quiet,” they had said. “Never happy.”) Her job had been temporary, since the outbreak stolen that away too.

 

This room too, would be temporary. Joy can’t stay here. It’s stuffy, and dark, even with all the lights on.

 

Like a coffin.

 

She’d never thought that Yeri could possibly be temporary too— it never even crossed her mind. Since when had Yeri become such a permanent fixture in her life? It’s baffling, really.

 

Life is temporary too. Joy has known this simple fact for years, and she acknowledges it again even now, as she wordlessly presses a single bullet into the shiny revolver that had remained without bullets until today.

 

Everything is temporary.

 

She places the revolver down and leaves to find a handkerchief; the revolver needs cleaning.

 

—

 

**Orchids**

 

"You're packing up already?" Yeri asks, furrowing her brow in confusion. "Are we leaving tomorrow? Why didn't you tell me?"

 

She stands near the entrance of the hotel room that Shelter had given her and Joy for the time being. The bed on the left, closest to the window, is messy – someone had clearly slept in it – while the bed on the right remains as pristine as it had been back from when they'd first been shown the room. Saeron had wanted Yeri to stay the night in her living quarters, and the short-haired girl had obliged, more than happy to catch up with her best friend.

 

"Yeri..." Joy takes a deep breath, shaking her head as she stares down at the revolver she had been cleaning for the last ten minutes. The dark metal gleams under the glare of the sunlight streaming in from the window.

 

"I didn't tell you because I'm the only one that's leaving this place," the older girl quietly admits, not daring to meet Yeri's shocked stare. "I'm leaving, but _you_ are not."

 

"I-" Yeri stutters, looking dumbfounded by this new information. "Why?!" She demands in indignation, eyes going wide with hurt. "Do you not want me around? I- I'm sorry for being such a burden, Joy, I didn't mean to bring you troubl—"

 

"No! That's not it at all!" Joy hastily exclaims, abandoning her spot where she'd been cleaning the revolver to stand directly in front of the younger girl. Yeri cranes her neck up to look at Joy with tears and vulnerability in her eyes. Joy feels a tight fist clench around her heart at the sight, and the coiling pain in her chest worsens— there's no.thing she hates more than hurting Yeri, regardless of intent.

 

"Yeri, I love having you with me!" Joy's gaze softens. "We probably wouldn't have survived this long without each other."

 

"Then why?!"

 

"Because it's safer!"

 

"Still!" Yeri insists stubbornly. "That's not for you to decide, Sooyoung-unnie!"

 

Joy flinches momentarily at the obscure sound of the honorific leaving Yeri's lips. She hadn't heard Yeri call her that since she'd first rescued her a solid two months ago. It's a true testament to how close they'd become, and how much Yeri had grown from the scared, trembling girl who hadn't dared to leave the broken down café, to the bold woman standing before Joy, unafraid of questioning the older girl's judgement. Yeri had grown— Joy truly had to admit. Yeri had only gotten more beautiful.

 

"Yerim," Joy says in a low voice, purposefully using Yeri's true name. "This place, this Shelter? It's safe. This place is protected on all sides— all four walls, and even the ceiling! You deserve nothing less than this kind of safety, and I can't give you nearly this amount of protection. Not by myself. This place... It could be your savior. I... I don’t belong here. I feel, I don’t know, _trapped_. Like the walls are suffocating me. I can deliver the rest of the supplies on my own.

 

"And," Joy gulps, the words nearly getting stuck in her throat. "Your family is here— all of them. Your mom, dad, younger sisters... And Saeron is here, and she's safe and alive. The two of you could be happy together, y'know? And you'd been worrying about her safety this whole time—"

 

"Joy." There's a hard edge to Yeri's tone that makes Joy come to a stuttering stop in her rambling (since when had Joy been reduced to such a bumbling mess around the younger girl anyways?)

 

"... Yes?"

 

"You are all I know," Yeri says quietly, looking Joy dead in the eye, and Joy freezes. "You taught me how to survive. You taught me how to defend myself. You taught me how to live. Joy, you are everything that I know." Yeri lets out a watery chuckle. "Why would I need another savior when I already have you? My angel with a shotgun.

 

"And yes, my family is here, and I am nothing short of ecstatic. Saeron is alive and well too, and that brings me peace. But Joy, you bring me happiness. Nothing makes me happier than when I am with you. I know this, and I will choose you, my happiness, every single time."

 

Joy doesn't realize that she's clenching her fists until she loosens them, the coiling of muscle suddenly relaxing, and a feeling of relief washes over her. Yeri wants her. Yeri needs her.

 

"So please," the short-haired girl begs, wasting no time in launching herself at Joy, throwing her arms around Joy's neck and burying her face into Joy's shoulder, dampening the fabric there. "Please don't leave me alone! I-I can't see the sky here, Joy! And-and now that you've finally shown me what it really looks like, I don't know how to live without it!"

 

"... Okay." Joy relents with a small smile. A hand brings itself up to tangle in Yeri's hair, and the younger girl sighs in relief, pressing ever-so closer to Joy, as though trying to reassure herself that Joy is still here. "I won't go anywhere without you."

 

"Thank you," Yeri mumbles, lips grazing the skin of Joy's neck. The long-haired girl shudders. "All I need is you and the blue sky above us, Joy. Shelter is safe but I feel like I'm suffocating."

 

"I'm sorry," Joy murmurs into Yeri's hair. "I'm sorry for not talking to you first, and for assuming that you'd want to stay here. You're not a burden— and you never were, but I'm sorry if I ever made you feel that way."

 

"Don't be." Yeri momentarily pulls away, only to rest her forehead on Joy's and nuzzle her nose. "You were only looking out for me. You've _always_ been looking out for me. Thank you, unnie."

 

"Anything for you, Yeri."

 

—

 

**Irises**

 

“What do you mean, you’re _leaving?!”_ Yeri’s mother shouts, lunging forward in an attempt to grab Yeri’s wrist.

 

Yeri, on the other hand, with increased reflexes after weeks of fighting and fleeing from the living dead, easily jumps out of the way of her mother’s swinging arm. She shakes her head, her eyes hard and decided, as she gravitates close to Joy, easily entering Joy’s space and finding comfort there.

 

“You’re in _Shelter,_ Yerim! You can’t leave here! It’s unsafe outside of this place!” Her mother shrieks, trying to dash forward, only to be held back by her father.

 

“Honey, stop,” the elderly man murmurs into her ear, his voice breaking at the word _stop_ , like it physically hurt him to say the command. “Both of us know that Yeri doesn’t belong here. She’s been looking for a crack in the wall ever since she arrived.”

 

“ _No,”_ her mother says, going slack in her husband’s arms, and Yeri watches her mother sadly. “ _No,”_ the woman repeats, looking like she had aged ten years in ten seconds, all the youth draining out of her at the sight of her daughter walking away.

 

“You’ll take good care of her,” Yeri’s father chokes out, and it takes Yeri a moment to realize that he’s talking to Joy.

 

The addressed girl bows slightly, hands coming to rest on Yeri’s shoulders protectively.

 

“I will always be by her side. I promise.”

 

“What has gotten into you, Kim Yerim?”

 

Yeri stiffens at the cold tone of her (former?) best friend before being brought back to earth at the feeling of Joy squeezing her shoulders. No, she can’t be deterred now. Not when she’s so close— so very, _very_ close to her happiness. Her _Joy._

 

“I can’t stay here.” She’d spent too long looking for windows in this place, knowing very well that she wouldn’t find any. “I’m not happy here, Saeron. Not when Joy’s not happy. Not when I can’t see the sky.”

 

Saeron goes silent.

 

Yeri sighs after a moment passes and it doesn’t look like Saeron is going to say any more. Instead, she turns to Mr. Lee, who stands next to lever to open Shelter’s gate, and nods.

 

“We’re ready.”

 

“Are you sure about this?” Mr. Lee asks, the look in his eyes subdued, almost sad. “Those who have left before have never gotten further than 20 kilometers away from the dome,” he cautions. “Are you absolutely sure that you want to leave?”

 

“Positive,” Yeri says decidedly, speaking for both her and Joy. She looks up at the taller girl and spies the proud smile on the long-haired girl’s lips. She’s always wanted to say these words. She’s never felt more like an adult than at this moment, making such a major decision like this. She hopes that Joy feels the same, sees her as an adult.

 

Mr. Lee pulls the lever, and there’s that horrible grinding sound from the first time Yeri had watched these gates pry apart. Light streams into the dome, and Yeri almost shouts in glee at the mere sight and sensation of _sunlight_ on her skin.

 

It’s been _too long._

 

“Please feel free to come back if you so desire,” he says solemnly, and Yeri pulls a brief face.

 

“Uh, about that—”

 

“Something tells me that the chances of us coming back are _extremely_ low,” Joy interjects, taking Yeri’s hand, and the younger girl throws her head back and laughs in the face of everything.

 

“Any regrets?” Joy asks Yeri quietly as they begin to step forward into the bright light. As they pass through Shelter’s tunnel, Joy can start to see their truck, with Joy’s beloved motorcycle and their arsenal, parked outside. Mr. Lee must have known that he stood no chance of persuading them to stay.

 

Yeri shakes her head. “No.”

 

Behind them, the gates begin to close. Yeri hears the screeching of the hinges, and the cacophony grates against her ears in the worst of ways, but she can’t bring herself to regret her decision. Not when she’s next to Joy.

 

“Yeri!”

 

Yeri whips her head around to see Saeron waving from behind the closing gates.

 

“Yeri, you better stay alive, you idiot!” Saeron screams, face red, her words coming out strangled.

 

Yeri smirks, merely saluting her friend before allowing Joy to take the lead, bringing them back out into the open wilderness.

 

—

 

**Acacias**

 

Seulgi was ready to raise hell the moment she sees the truck speed by them.

 

They’d been out on a simple perimeter patrol, just Seulgi and Irene cruising along the iron fence in the sports car. Having gotten out to do a short survey of a barren area, it’s like time slowed down as truck passed, and the young leader’s eyes widened as she recognized the two familiar faces in the driver and passenger seats.

 

“Irene,” Seulgi had said lowly, her tone dangerous. “ _Irene.”_

 

The older girl had already been opening the door to the sports car, eyes glinting. “I won’t stop you this time. You’ve been teaching me about self-worth, Seul. And I’m going with you— opportunity cost and whatnot. Let’s go get them.”

 

Seulgi had to resist the urge to press a searing kiss against Irene’s lips right then and there.

 

 _Damn,_ she loves this girl.

 

But now, things have gotten _a lot_ more complicated. Because they’d managed to catch the troublesome duo, Seulgi’s sports car more than fast enough to catch up, but there are other matters at hand that suddenly came to light.

 

Seulgi slams her knife into the ground, a mere few inches away from one man’s face.

 

“Where are they?!” Seulgi shouts commandingly. “Where are the people you stole this truck from?!”

 

“What are you talking about?” The man spits back rather unconvincingly. Seulgi narrows her eyes at him scrutinizing him under the midday sun. “We didn’t steal this from anyone!”

 

“We plundered all of it ourselves!” The second man adds through grit teeth from where Irene had tied him up to a nearby tree. “Every single piece of it!”

 

“Oh _spare me,”_ Irene hisses, and Seulgi can’t help but feel a bit excited. It’s the first time Irene has let herself loose like this, let herself dominate the situation like nobody’s business.

 

The older girl stalks her way over, having finished inspecting the truck. Clenched in her right hand is a rainbow tie-dyed backpack, filled to the brim with novels.

 

“I highly doubt you’d be too into Nicolas Spark’s _The Notebook,”_ Irene seethes, shouldering the backpack. “And even then, I doubt that either of you would have any need for the motorcycle in the back, especially when you can hardly drive a van properly. No, you stole this truck from someone, and now they’re stranded in the wilderness.”

 

Seulgi feels the crude feeling of disgust in the base of her body, starting from her toes and moving upward. _No. Oh god, no. Too much death... too much..._

 

“So,” Irene singsongs, and even Seulgi feels the hairs on her skin stand up at the chilling sound. Thank goodness that she and Irene are on the same sides— she never wants to know what it’s like to be on the opposing side. “I suggest that you tell me where you left the original owner of this bag.

 

“Right now.”

 

—

 

**Forget-Me-Nots**

 

Wendy’s not usually one to stick around in the communications room— that’s more of Solar and Jisoo’s type of thing. But today, Eunji had offered to handle communication duties, and what kind of girlfriend would Wendy be if she left Eunji alone?

 

It’s probably fate that she’s in the room on this particular day, because the moment Wendy hears Seulgi’s slightly breathy but firm tone over the radio, Wendy makes a mad dash for the nearest walkie-talkie.

 

“Seulgi?!” Wendy calls into the device as Eunji hastily joins her. “Seul, what’s wrong?”

 

“Wendy, I need you and Eunji to rally all the runners! Oh, and we’ll need you too, just in case!”

 

“Why? What’s going on?”

 

“We caught the two douchebags who kidnapped Irene those months ago.” Wendy inhales sharply. “They stole an entire truck of goods from these two girls, and now they’re stranded. Wendy, there was a hoard of living dead nearby! We need to find them and help before it’s too late!”

 

“Y-yes of course!” Wendy stammers, but it’s Eunji that immediately jumps to action, clicking through the radio channels and summoning each and every single runner available.

 

“We’ve got this, Seulgi,” Eunji says, her expression and tone calm, but Wendy knows that her girlfriend is repressing the urge to let pure adrenaline take over. “I’ve sent out code red signals to our teams. We’ll split up around the vicinity, find that hoard, and save those girls.”

 

“Great!” The relief in Seulgi’s voice is a bit more than evident. “We’ll get started here. Irene and I have got the sports car. Can you come collect the truck of supplies and goods with Wendy, Eunji? It’s really close by the complex. We’ll wait until you get here, since just me and Irene on our own won’t do much good.”

 

“Sounds like a plan, Seul.”

 

“Don’t do anything rash!” Wendy swiftly slips in before Seulgi can hang up.

 

Seulgi laughs. “Will do, Wendy.”

 

—

 

**Irises and Orchids**

 

Yeri shudders as Joy draws the younger girl in, her hold on Yeri defensive and protective. She grips Yeri’s shoulder blade, pushing her as close to her own body as humanly possible. Yeri buries her face into the fabric of Joy’s black hoodie, trying to find comfort in its warmth.

 

It’s funny, actually, how this position had become something natural for them. The comfort and safety that they’d found in each other, forged in their trust and deepened over time. Now it’s something that they don’t even need to physically recognize anymore. They simply _are._

 

Yeri doesn’t want to let go. Ever.

 

“Joy,” she whimpers, never having felt so helpless. Her fingers press insistently into Joy’s hoodie. “Joy, what do we do?”

 

Joy grits her teeth, pained by the feeling of uselessness.

 

“I don’t know,” she admits, defeated.

 

They’d been ambushed. A two-man team had found where they’d set up camp and stole their stuff— the truck, their arsenal of weapons (yes, Joy’s shotgun and Yeri’s crossbow), the motorcycle. Practically everything gone, just like that. All that’s left is Joy’s backpack.

 

Joy had erupted, screaming out in frustration when they’d finally given up the fruitless attempt of chasing the thieves on foot. Yeri, with tears in her eyes, had shook her head, pulling Joy into another one of their hugs, letting the older girl tangle her fingers in Yeri’s short hair as she whispered words of hope into Joy’s ears. _We’ll be okay. We’ll be okay. We’re together, and we’re alive. We’ll be okay._

 

But now they’re surrounded on all sides. The zombies – those stupid creatures of the damned – must have smelled their fear, because not even an hour later, the duo had found themselves trapped within an old building they’d visited in hopes of looting, only to find that it had already been cleared.

 

They’re trapped.

 

Utterly, hopelessly trapped.

 

Yeri can hear them right through the thin walls of the abandoned house. There’s nowhere to run— no sign of civilization for miles. They’re completely alone, with only each other to bear.

 

“Joy,” Yeri whispers again, running a hand up and down Joy’s arm to try and calm the older girl down. “We’ll be okay.”

 

“How do you know?” Joy whispers back, just barely audible over the noise of the groaning dead outside. “How can you be so sure?”

 

“Because I’m with you,” Yeri replies, simple. “I’m always okay when I’m with you, and we’re best when we’re together. Until the end of the world.”

 

“This world has already gone to shit,” Joy chuckles humorlessly, but her eyes turn soft as she sees the way Yeri looks at her— like Joy had just single-handedly saved the human race, like Joy had meant something on this dilapidated earth. She takes a deep breath. “But we _are_ still together, aren’t we? I think we’ve probably set a new record for the longest a duo has managed to survive alone out here in this place.”

 

“I think so too,” Yeri giggles lightly. She must be going insane, as her giggles increase in volume, to not even care about whether the walking dead can hear her or not. They’re about to get eaten by zombies and here she is, laughing about their accomplishments. “And they said at Shelter that we wouldn’t make it past 20 kilometers from that dome.” _Had it all been for nothing?_ “Yet here we are!”

 

Joy laughs too, genuine this time.

 

“Here we are,” Joy repeats, gazing at Yeri fondly.

 

And then the younger girl grows quiet, her face turning somber.

 

“I don’t want to be one of them,” Yeri says quietly.

 

Joy is silent.

 

Then—

 

“I have a gun,” Joy says. Slowly, she sets down her backpack, pulls out the shiny revolver as Yeri watches her wordlessly.

 

“There are only two bullets,” the older girl whispers. The groaning outside grows louder, but Joy and Yeri pay no mind.

 

“But that’s enough, right?” Yeri says, and Joy nearly gets whiplash as her eyes snap up to meet Yeri’s calm gaze.

 

“I’m scared,” Joy confesses for the first time, and the short-haired girl’s composed facade is shattered. (In the distance the sound of shattering windows can be heard.)

 

“Me too,” Yeri admits, voice cracking like little shards of glass, embedding themselves into Joy’s skin. “I’m scared too.”

 

“But we’ll be okay, though,” Joy states, echoing Yeri’s words from earlier.

 

Yeri nods silently. Her hand outstretches, and Joy smiles at the silent question in her eyes before lacing their fingers together.

 

“I love you, Yeri.” Joy says, honestly, genuinely, and a smile blossoms across Yeri’s features.

 

Yeri’s smile is watery. “I love you too, Joy. I wanted to live with you forever. I want to live with you forever.”

 

“Anything for you, Yerim,” Joy says.

 

—

 

**Irises and Orchids**

 

And then the world explodes, and everything falls to ruin.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


To be continued.

 


	3. how many blue skies have there been?

**Chapter 3: how many blue skies have there been?**

 

**Orchids and Irises**

 

And then the world explodes, and everything falls to ruin.

Except for them.

 

—

 

**Acacias**

 

“Seulgi,” Irene says over the roaring of the engine as they speed over the landscape, and Seulgi grips the steering wheel tighter, her palms sweaty. It’s a race against the clock, with their destination currently unknown. _They couldn’t have gotten far._ “Seulgi!”  
  
Seulgi shakes her head as Irene’s voice finally pierces through the veil, snapping her out of her thoughts.  
  
“Are you okay, Hyun?” Seulgi asks, her voice choked with emotion. No more, no more, no more—  
  
“We’re going to make it,” Irene says with conviction, and she sounds so strong, so steady, that Seulgi wants to cry. She blinks back hot tears as Irene places a comforting hand on her shoulder.  
  
“We don’t know where they are,” the young leader whispers, but Irene shakes her head.  
  
“Have faith, Seul,” she says, and out of the corner of her eye, she sees the older girl squeeze the radio held firmly in her right hand, as if willing for it to speak to her— anything, news about a location, a clue. “We’ll make it.”  
  
And just like magic, the radio crackles to life, and Wendy’s voice rings out over the noise of tired over pavement.  
  
“Seulgi, we haven’t checked the old warehouse,” Wendy says over the device. Her voice is pitched, desperate, and Seulgi gets the feeling that there’s something a bit deeper to Wendy’s distress; something that’s going unsaid, that can’t be identified. Like even Wendy can’t identify it, but it’s there. “We stopped patrolling that area a few weeks ago, after we thought we’d pillaged everything right? I-I think that’s where we need to be. We’re heading there now.”  
  
“Good idea,” Seulgi manages to say back as Irene holds up the radio, when a third line cuts into the conversation.  
  
“We’re already there.” It’s Eunae, whose voice washes over all of them like an angel descended from heaven. “Euijin, Minjae, NewSun, and I are scanning the perimeter in the Jeep, Seul, and there’s a hoard surrounding the warehouse. They smell something. This is the place we’re looking for.”  
  
“Then that’s where we’re heading,” Seulgi grunts, like a weight has suddenly been lifted off her shoulders – only slightly though, since they still got two girls to save – and she shifts gears. Irene immediately grabs the side handles of the car. “Stay safe, Eunae. Don’t do anything dumb. I trust you, but still.”  
  
The tall girl on the other end of the line chuckles. “Believe me, Seul, even if I did and survived, Nahyun wouldn’t let me hear the end of it.”  
  
Irene snorts from her place beside Seulgi. “She better not, Eunae-yah.”  
  
“Take care,” Seulgi says, and Eunae gives a word of finality before Irene hangs up and Seulgi swings the sports car right. “Ready to test this baby’s off-road capabilities, Hyun?”  
  
“Does this thing have air bags?” Irene asks warily, and Seulgi is suddenly overcome with the urge to laugh. Leave it to Irene to make her feel better.  
  
“It does,” she reassures her girlfriend, and then she’s shooting Irene her signature cheeky smile. _Yeah, this feels a whole lot better._ She revs the engine. “I also had the tires modified, so we _should_ be all good.”  
  
_“Should.”_ Irene raises an incredulous eyebrow.  
  
“Well, yeah.” _Everything is lighter._ “Y’know, Hyun, this is an example of—”  
  
“Moral hazard,” Irene finishes like they’ve rehearsed it, complete with a swift eye roll. “In which people do stupid things because they’ve got insurance to back them up in case they fail. You and your economics concepts! Seul, people bungee jump because they’ve got health insurance. All we’ve got are airbags and your self-modified tires!”  
  
“Are you doubting me?” Seulgi’s tone is teasing.  
  
“...No. Let’s save some lives.”

 

—

 

**Forget-Me-Nots**

  
Wendy rides with Eunji and her team as they speed off to old warehouse, the tires of the Jeep rumbling against the cracked roads. The more ground they cover, the more intersections they pass, the harder her heart pounds. She can’t put her finger on it. It’s like there’s this tugging in her chest— tugging her in this direction, without a final location in sight.  
  
She just prays that she doesn’t need all the medical equipment tucked away securely in her bag today.  
  
Lifting her head, she meets Eunji’s gaze for a brief moment, giving a small nod before turning her attention to the pavement passing under them.  
  
_What am I looking for?_  
  
And there, in the sun, laying in the roadside dirt, it glints.  
  
“Stop the car!” Wendy shouts, not even faltering when Chorong in the driver’s seat slams on the brakes.

 

—

 

 **Wisteria**  
  
Eunji doesn’t question Wendy as the smaller girl rushes out the back of the Jeep— Naeun pushes open the door without a word, understanding that the doctor must have her reasons.  
  
Namjoo and Bomi poise their guns out the window, Hayoung opening the passenger door slightly, and Naeun remaining by the back door, all ready to protect Wendy in case any unwanted enemies show up without a moment’s notice. It stirs something in Eunji’s heart, seeing how ready her friends are to protect her girlfriend— they really have taken to Wendy in stride.  
  
Eunji can’t pinpoint what’s got Wendy so worked up, but she knows better to question it; Wendy’s intuition has saved their asses on multiple occasions.  
  
(And something tells Eunji that this somehow has to do with a best friend that Wendy had to leave behind back in her hometown.)  
  
Only thirty seconds later, and Wendy’s already jumping back into the Jeep and plopping down into her seat, right next to Namjoo.  
  
“I’m good,” the doctor calls breathlessly to Chorong, who nods and they’re off once more. From where Eunji’s seated across from Namjoo, the two girls share a look. Namjoo wordlessly gets up and they switch seats.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Eunji asks her girlfriend worriedly as she sits down next to Wendy. She reaches out, rubbing Wendy’s arms, up and down, feeling something plummet in her stomach as she runs her hands over goosebumps. “Wan…”

“I’m fine,” Wendy says, inhaling deeply. “I am, really. It’s just, Eunji… Oh, _god,_ she’s _here,_ Eunji.”

And Eunji’s eyes widen as Wendy extends her hand, opening the clenched fist to reveal an emerald embedded ring on a gold chain, much like the blue one Wendy still wore around her neck to this day.

 

(Eunji fleetingly wonders if she should be celebrating or cursing her on-point intuition.)

“Joy is _here.”_

 

—

 

**Peonies**

 

Irene jumps out of the sports car and prays. She makes a break for the crowd of zombies completely barricading their way to the old warehouse entrance, her trusty axe at her side, Seulgi right behind her.

“Cut straight through!” Seulgi yells over the commotion. She grabs Irene’s hand right at the edge of the crowd, pulling her to a halt. There’s a loud BOOM a little to their left, and Irene can hear the undeniable sound of someone lighting a flare— the other girls must’ve arrived. “Don’t look back, Hyun! You’re the fastest one of us, and you’ve got an advantage that the rest of us don’t.”

“You can count on me, Seul!”

“Just,” Seulgi gives her a heart-wrenching, lonely look, and Irene never wants to see it on Seulgi’s face ever again, “come back to me, okay? I trust you. I-I know that I said that I wanted no more deaths, but that means yours too. You mean the most to me, Hyun. Please, no matter what, come home.”

“I will,” Irene whispers. She’s not sure if Seulgi heard her over the noise, but from the resolute nod she receives in return, Irene assumes that it’ll have to do. She’ll make sure this isn’t her last conversation with her lover.

And then she’s tearing through the ranks, the blade of her axe shimmering with the pungent blood of the living dead under the heat of the midday sun, and she swings the weapon with a fury.

No stopping, only forward. Those two girls… she won’t let them become victims too.

For their sake, and hers, and Seulgi’s.

 

—

 

**Orchids and Irises**

 

It’s like she’s underwater; everything is just _muted_. There’s a faint knocking, a rumbling.

And then— 

“ _JOY!”_

Yeri screams just as Joy pulls the smaller girl to the ground, covering Yeri with her own body to protect her from the falling debris as the explosion rocks the room. The revolver sprawls to the dusty floor, off to some far corner of the room, but Joy couldn’t care less.

“What’s going on?!” Yeri cries, her knuckles turning white as she grips onto the older girl as tight as humanly possible. “Joy, what’s going on?!”

“We’re being saved,” Joy breathes, but then she’s grinning, and the short-haired girl’s eyes widen. “Shelter was wrong— _We_ were wrong, Yerim. We’re not the only ones out here!”

And that’s when Yeri hears it— the shouts of other humans overpowering, drowning out the groans of the dead. Gunshots ring through the air outside, and through it all, they can hear the sound of hollow, soulless bodies hitting the dry terrain.

The door on the far wall that they’d spent a half-minute barricading earlier bursts open with a BANG! and Joy shields Yeri once again. However, there’s no surge of zombies into the room, just the sound of careful feet stepping around the wreckage, gingerly using a foot to cautiously move debris out of the way.

Joy forces herself to temporarily turn her attention away from Yeri, and finds herself meeting the warm gaze of a beautiful brunette, smiling shyly at the two of them, a hand extended to help them to their feet.

“Hello,” the girl greets them bashfully, and Yeri sticks her head out to gaze at the girl in wonder. “It looks like you two could use some help.”

She looks like an angel amidst all the chaos (Joy wouldn’t acknowledge the bloody axe in her grasp until much later.)

Joy can’t find the words to reply, so Yeri speaks for the both of them.

“Are we dead, unnie?” Yeri blurts out, and a wave of nostalgia washes over Joy as she remembers the first time she met the younger girl— _are you going to kill me, unnie?_

The beautiful girl laughs, the sound far too melodious for the obvious slaughter of zombies outside.

“No,” the girl giggles, like chiming bells. She helps them up, rising to stand on shaky feet. “Not quite.”

Suddenly, the room shakes with the sound of an explosion, and cheers can be heard from outside. Joy can’t help but grin at the racket. Yeri spots her smile and snorts, burying her face into Joy’s chest again, trying to muffle her laughter, though shaking shoulders give her away.

Then, a third voice cuts through the chaos.

“Irene! Did you find them?”

Joy’s eyes widen at the familiar voice.

“Wendy?!”

“Joy, _oh my god!”_

 

—

 

**Acacias**

 

“Light the bodies up, guys!” Seulgi shouts, scrunching her nose at the wretched smell permeating through the air. She carefully steps around a few carcasses, making her way over to where Eunae stands. “Quick! Before the stench clings to us. Other hoards might smell us, and that’ll be even more trouble. Eunae, I saw you get hurt earlier?”

“I’m fine, Seul,” Eunae grunts, wringing out her wrists. “It wasn’t inflicted, thank goodness. I just landed on my wrist after I got sent flying. I think it’s sprained… Nahyun’s still not going to be happy about needing to  bandage it, but better than being bitten, yeah?”

“Definitely,” Seulgi says in relief, patting Eunae’s shoulder. The taller girl and Moonbyul have acted as Seulgi’s seconds-in-command this whole time, and Seulgi can’t imagine a world without two of her best friends in it. “We haven’t lost anyone, have we?”

“It doesn’t look like it,” Eunae replies, and it’s not the first time Seulgi’s had to do rescues, but it _is_ the first of this scale. To have not lost anyone is relieving beyond belief. The payoff had been minimal— thank goodness for that. “I asked Minjae to do a check, and the only people unaccounted for are Irene and Wendy, since they went inside the building.”

“Have we heard anything from them?”

“Irene just radioed in!” Hwasa calls from where she sits with the portable hub radio. “She says—”

 

—

 

**Orchids**

 

Joy doesn’t let go of Yeri as she turns to face her ex-girlfriend and best friend. She hugs Yeri tight, but beams at Wendy, and the girl who she hadn’t seen for months seems to get it.

“You made it!” Wendy cheers, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet, and Joy grins. The small girl taps the beautiful girl’s – Irene’s – arm excitedly. “Irene, this is Joy! The girl I told you about! Didn’t I tell you she was a badass? And you brought someone with you?”

“This is Yeri,” Joy introduces, pride in her voice as Yeri disentangles herself from their tight embrace to bow slightly and properly show her thanks to their saviors. “She’s my girlfriend.”

Yeri’s not one hundred percent sure that she’s not dead yet.

Wendy giggles, throwing her head back. “You’ve always had a thing for height differences, haven’t you?”

Joy pouts, immediately back hugging her girl, and _what the hell is going on?_ Weren’t they just about to die five minutes ago? It’s odd, how naturally the conversation flows between them, like they hadn’t been separated for months on end. What’s even odder is how perfectly Yeri and Irene seem to fit in with this whole situation. But Joy isn’t really one to complain.

“My height difference with Yeri is much cuter, Wanda.”

“This is why we broke up,” Wendy says comically to Irene before winking at Yeri. The youngest girl laughs. Okay, so she likes Wendy. “Joy would always insult me.”

“Enough about me!” Joy whines in annoyance, “aren’t you going to introduce us to everyone else?”

Wendy and Irene share an amused look, and Yeri doesn’t know why, but that singular scene feels like coming home. Like these people are where they belong.

“Always so impatient,” Wendy scolds, and Joy rolls her eyes playfully. “But,” She drawls on with a shrug, “I definitely think that Seulgi will want to meet you guys. And I want to introduce you to Eunji, Joy.”

“Who’s Seulgi?” Yeri pipes up as Wendy and Irene begin to lead them out of the room.

“My girlfriend,” Irene quips with a smirk, and Yeri’s smile widens. Oh yeah, they definitely belong here. “She also happens to be our de facto leader.”

“Who’s Eunji?” Joy inquires.

“ _My_ girlfriend,” Wendy chuckles, although her eyes glint slightly, as though gauging Joy’s reaction.

“Is she as badass as me?”

“Even more badass.”

“Is she as badass as Yeri?”

(The short-haired girl snorts.)

“That’s up for debate,” Wendy relents, and from a few paces ahead, Irene barks out a laugh, turning back to exchange knowing looks with Yeri.

“Then we’ll have absolutely no problems here,” Joy sings, tossing an arm over Yeri’s shoulders, humming to herself for the first time in a long time.

 

**—**

 

**Acacias**

 

“So you’re the infamous Joy?” are the first words that leave Seulgi’s lips the second she sees the taller girl standing with Irene and Wendy. She recognizes the long-haired brunette that Wendy had shown her, back when they were roommates in college.

The young leader holds out her hand with a smile, and Joy accepts the handshake readily.

“You’ve heard of me?” Joy says playfully, and the other new girl giggles. “See, Yeri? My name’s getting around.”

“She didn’t say whether she’s heard good or bad things about you, Joy,” the short-haired girl – Yeri – quips, and Seulgi almost chokes over the sudden verbal quip, as well as at the less-than-amused expression that crosses over Joy’s face like a dark cloud. “Oh, Joy, lay off! You know I was joking.”

“You’re lucky I love you,” Joy mutters under her breath, and Yeri snorts.

Meanwhile, Seulgi can’t help but laugh. _Yeah, these two will fit in just fine._

Eunji appears at Seulgi’s side a moment later, and Seulgi and Irene watch in apt interest as Wendy interests her current girlfriend to her previous one. Seulgi’s not sure what she was expecting, but she’s pleasantly surprised at the way Joy takes the introduction in stride, shaking hands with Eunji and smiling gratefully at the sniper who had also taken apart in their recovery.

“I suppose we should start heading back,” Eunji says a few minutes later, now standing with a loose arm around Wendy’s shoulders. “It’s going to get dark soon, and we don’t want to get caught off-guard at night.”

“Good call,” Irene agrees, and Yeri blearily nods in agreement, swaying sleepily on her feet. Joy chuckles and steadies her.

“Careful, Yerim.”

“Oh, wait a second!” Seulgi perks up, and she shuffles through her bag, pulling out a gun that Joy recognizes as her old revolver. The dark gray metal still shines underneath the fading light of the setting sun. “I had Moonbyul search through that old building we’d found you in, just in case, and she said that you must’ve forgot this in there.”

“I didn’t realize that I’d dropped it,” Joy says in thanks, though she makes no move to accept it yet.

“There’s only two bullets in here though,” the leader observes, shutting the cartridge close with a snap. She’s moving to give the revolver back to Joy when it hits her, and she freezes. “Oh my god...”

It’s like time stands still. No one moves, no one says a word. They all only stare at the revolver blankly.

It’s Yeri who breaks the silence.

“It was a last resort,” she says quietly. “You don’t have to worry about us anymore. I’m— _We’re_ just glad to be alive. We can’t thank you enough for that.”

“Yeri’s right,” Joy says with lowly. “We thought we were goners.”

Irene presses into Seulgi’s side, and like a comforting blanket, the young leader finds herself coming out of her temporary daze, finally processing the newcomers’ words.

“That’s understandable,” Irene says gently. “Seul?”

“Let’s go home,” Seulgi says with a small smile. “What happened in the past is the past. We only move forward from here. Please feel free to stay with us for as long as you wish.”

 

—

 

**Forget-Me-Nots**

 

“You also left this,” Wendy says swiftly, noticing how Joy lagged the others making their way to the vehicles; like an unseen force is drawing her towards Wendy— just this once more.

The doctor presses the green ring on the golden chain into Joy’s hand.

“I found it on the side of the road.”

“I- thank you, Wannie,” Joy stutters, and Wendy feels a smile blossom at the familiar nickname. This is the best friend that she’d been missing all this time. “I’m sorry, it must’ve come off as we were chasing those men…”

“Don’t be sorry,” Wendy quickly says. “It wasn’t your fault; you didn’t mean to drop it. I’m just glad you’re here now.”

“Me too,” Joy immediately says. “Me too, Wendy.”

 

—

 

**Orchids and Peonies**

 

Perhaps it’s three days after their rescuing that Joy finds herself restless in bed. Frowning to herself, she slips out from beneath the blanket, careful not to wake the sleeping Yeri pressed against her side, and tiptoes out of their room.

“Are you alright?”

Joy almost jumps, startled. It’s the first time someone’s caught her off guard, and it’s late at night, in the complex kitchen as she’s looking for something to drink— nothing bad, she just needs something to calm her churning stomach.

“Yeah,” Joy says before pausing. Yeri keeps telling her to work more on opening up, especially to their new friends, given how they’ve no intention of leaving any time soon.

“My stomach just hurts a little,” she admits after a fleeting moment of thought. “I think I’m getting sick... I was looking for something to drink to soothe it.”

“You’re feeling sick?” Irene inquires, worried as she walks up to Joy, silently asking a question with her eyes. Joy lets her, and the older girl raises a hand to feel Joy’s forehead. She frowns at the pulsing heat beneath her palm. “Oh... you’re definitely ill, or at least have the symptoms.”

Joy groans, tossing her head back. “But Seulgi said that she’d take me out on patrol with her tomorrow...”

Irene quirks a smile. Joy’s an incredibly mature girl for her age, anyone can see that, so it’s the first time Irene’s ever seen the girl act like the young adult she actually is— and she’s _whining._ Irene can’t help but be a bit amused, though she feels bad; it’s fairly obvious how Joy had been looking forward to finally get to accompany Seulgi on her bi-weekly patrols, which were much more interesting than the smaller daily patrols.

“Well, staying up late and not getting rest won’t help you,” Irene says gently, and she giggles at the sheepish expression that overtakes Joy’s features. “You might wake up with a sore throat.”

“But my stomach hurts...” Joy pouts, and Irene outright laughs.

“Go lie down on the couch,” she instructs, shooing Joy towards the kitchen doorway. “I’ll make you some of the soup my mom used to make whenever I got sick.”

That makes Joy stop while halfway through the exit, looking at Irene like a guilty child.

“Are you sure?” She asks, biting her lip. “It’s really late, and I don’t want you going through the trouble if you’re tired—”

“I’m awake at this hour for a reason, silly,” Irene smiles. “I can’t sleep either. I’ve been restless off the past hour, and I guess now I know why. I didn’t want to bother Seulgi, so I snuck out here to maybe try and cook something. I’m a runner, so I never get to make anything these days.”

“Ah, I didn’t want to wake Yeri either, so I understand,” Joy hums. “You and Seulgi really love each other, don’t you?” She comments, backing away from the doorframe and taking a seat at one of the counters. “Have you two known each other for a long time?”

“Actually,” Irene cocks her head, pondering to herself. It’s strange to think about, given how it feels like an eternity since she and Seulgi first met, but it surely hadn’t been anything more than maybe two months ago? Maybe a bit more? It’s odd to say so out loud. “We really haven’t, now that I think about it. We met after the outbreak, and that was only three months ago.”

“Really?” Joy sounds surprised. “You guys seem like an old married couple, who... I don’t know, who still manage to find reasons to love each other more everyday.”

Irene barks out a laugh at that. She fleetingly wonders what would’ve happened, had she gone through with her engagement a year ago. Had she married Bogum, what would her life be like today, in the midst of this apocalypse? Her fiancée had been a well-off man— neglectful, restrictive, and possessive, but well-off nevertheless. Had she married Bogum, Irene would surely have been shipped off to some safer part of the world by now, living life in some extravagant fortress, probably hidden in the mountains or something.

The older girl has to restrain the urge to roll her eyes at the pure absurdity of it all. She can hardly even imagine it.

Though, she definitely can’t see herself being as overwhelmingly happy with Bogum, probably all locked up in his metal hole in the wall, as she is with Seulgi and her friends, getting by with their wit and luck.

“Well,” Irene says with a satisfying chop of some chicken, “I can’t say much, but I can say this: I’d marry Seulgi in a heartbeat.”

_I just hope that… well, never mind._

—

 

**Irises**

 

Yeri watches in fascination as Wendy expertly dresses the long cut on Jennie's arm, wrapping it with a thin gauze and letting out a satisfied hum of approval. She likes watching the older girl work— Yeri had been planning on entering the field of a physician's assistant back in high school, having put down that occupation on all the surveys. Obviously, that dream seemed even further away after the event of the outbreak, but it appears slightly closer as Wendy takes the time to explain all of her procedures to Yeri as she works.  
  
"You're sure it was just shrapnel that scratched you and not anything more troublesome?" Wendy asks Jennie one last time. "Because if not, you're free to go."  
  
The runner nods with a grin. "One hundred percent. Thank you so much, Wendy! I'm hoping this eases Jisoo's worries."  
  
"She's got her heart in the right place," Wendy laughs, nudging Jennie playfully while being mindful of the newly wrapped injury. "You know she's just looking out for you because she loves you, Jen."  
  
"I know," Jennie says animatedly before jumping off the examination table and slipping on her shoes. "Thanks again, Wendy! And it was nice to finally meet you officially, Yeri! Welcome to the family!"  
  
"Happy to be here!" Yeri chirps, waving goodbye to her new friend, and she sees Wendy smile at the interaction. "Bye-bye!"  
  
It's after the door is shut that Wendy exhales in relief and allows herself to slouch against her chair.  
  
"Whew," she says, wiping some sweat off her brow, and Yeri giggles. "That was tiring. At least it was only minor stuff. Thankfully, we've just entered the slow hours— there typically isn't anyone who needs our help during this time of day. So how did you find my office, Yeri?"  
  
"Amazing!" Yeri gushes immediately, eyes sparkling, and she bounces on the balls of her feet eagerly. "It's so cool to see how you've managed to come up with so many remedies that aren't only efficient but also manage to conserve our limited materials! Thanks for letting me sit in!"  
  
"Well, we've had to adapt," Wendy chuckles. "We don't have an infinite amount of resources, so we've had to get creative with our solutions. And thank you for joining me! It gets lonely here sometimes, not going to lie."  
  
Her wistful tone is so disguised that Yeri almost doesn't hear it. But Yeri's spent the past few months learning the language of Joy, the girl who masks her emotions behind walls so deep that even sound cannot pass through— in comparison to Joy, reading Wendy is easy as pie.  
  
"That's right, Eunji is a runner, isn't she?" Yeri comments, moving to help put away a few rolls of gauze.  
  
Wendy nods, busying herself by filing away a few notes. "Yeah. She's out with Joy and Seulgi right now, I believe."  
  
Yeri pauses, and the room falls into silence.  
  
Then—  
  
"You don't have to answer me, but can I ask about your previous relationship with Joy?" _And why you broke up?_  
  
Wendy smiles softly. "Are you worried? Because if you are, whatever the reason, you don't have to be. Joy is completely dedicated to you. She loves you so much."  
  
"I know," Yeri says quickly, hastily shaking her head. "I love her so much as well." She'd never have doubts about Joy, especially not after everything they'd been through. Joy is her everything; the person she wouldn't mind spending an eternity with. There's never been any doubts before, and certainly there wouldn't be any now. "I was just wondering because she said that the two of you broke up amicably. I was just... curious as to what happened."  
  
"Ah, I see," Wendy nods in understanding. She reclines in her chair, making herself comfortable. "It wasn't one event in particular, just an accumulation of certain things, really.  
  
"If I'm water," the doctor says thoughtfully, "then Joy is fire. She burns so beautifully, so brightly. She's strong and fierce and protective, and that's what she did— she protected me. But Joy is headstrong, and I tried to contain that blaze; tried to dim it." Wendy shakes her head. "I don't like conflict. I don't like fighting. That's why I chose to be a doctor. I think I was afraid of her in that sense, burning so brightly. And it's that quality that made us incompatible.  
  
"Joy didn't need someone to douse her fire," Wendy concludes, looking at Yeri with purpose. "Joy needed someone to match that blaze with their own. And she found that person in you, Yeri. You're not afraid to fight, and you're not afraid of Joy and her fire. You embrace it, and Joy thrives with you. She sees you as an equal, and she will do anything for you." Her voice is soft. "It's a beautiful thing, and you’re _so_ good for her, Yeri."  
  
Yeri inhales, closing her eyes tight as she processes Wendy's words. It's a strange thing to think about— could Yeri actually match Joy's fire? For so long, Yeri had looked up to Joy, wanted to thrive like Joy. But then again, while surely Joy had owned Yeri's being from the beginning, Joy had also gradually become hers in return. Maybe, just maybe, Yeri did meet Joy's fire after all.

 

—

 

**Acacias**

 

“You’re pretty good at lockpicking,” Seulgi observes, watching Joy stick her tongue out in concentration as she uses a hairpin to expertly break the lock on the back of the truck full of gasoline tanks. 

“Thanks,” Joy says with a slight smirk, before making a victorious sound at the sound of a _click_ and the lock coming undone. She pulls it off with gusto and pries the back doors open. “There we go!”

“Hey, we’re checking inside the station to see if there’s anything worth salvaging! Hey— do I want to know how you got so good, Joy?” Seulgi asks teasingly as Eunji, Moonbyul, and Eunae leap inside the now open truck to haul some of the tanks into their own pickup truck.

Joy shrugs, unbothered. “I just got good, I guess. As a kid, there wasn’t anyone around to watch me— no one who cared enough about me, at least.” She kicks open the door to the minimart of the gas station. “The foster homes I moved around from weren’t much more than a new roof over my head. No one watched me, so I became too good to get caught.”

“Wow,” Seulgi marvels, following the younger girl inside and making her way around the aisles. “I mean, I can definitely relate to being alone most of the time, although it definitely wasn’t as bad. My parents and I had a big house, and they gave me all the freedom I wanted. No one looked after me, and I ended up raising myself. I asked our chef to teach me to cook, I asked our driver to teach me to drive… My parents - or, my father at least - was always too busy.”

“Your family doesn’t seem too great,” Joy comments, and Seulgi notices the way she keeps her tone light, but there’s something heavier there.

Seulgi takes a deep breath, grabbing a bottle of lavender fabric softener off a nearby shelf. “Yeah, it wasn’t the greatest.”

So she decides to spill.

It’s the fourth time she’s ever had to recount her past— once to Irene, twice to Wendy and Eunji, three times to the rest of the girls under her leadership, and now four times to Joy. She doesn’t know how the former loner will react, but she keeps going nonetheless, resolved to coming clean to their newest friend.

And to her surprise, just as she finishing, Joy walks over, patting Seulgi on the back sympathetically.

“None of it was your fault,” Joy murmurs, and Seulgi’s just about to cry from relief. “None of it was yours. They’re not your mistakes. They’re not.”

“I’ve started to worry,” Seulgi murmurs. “Because what if I end up becoming a monster like my father, who tries to bring back the dead, tries to defy nature where it can’t be defied?”

“You won’t,” Joy says steadily. “You won’t become a monster like him.”

“You don’t fear me? My parents and I— we share genes.”

And Joy shakes her head.

“I can’t see it. I see no monster in you.” The younger girl’s eyes shine like they hold the secrets to the universe, and Seulgi wishes that Joy would find it in her to let her in. What Seulgi would do to have that kind of reassurance. “I see absolutely no monster in you, Seulgi, and if I can’t see it, I can’t fear it.”

 

—

 

**Peonies**

  
“Irene-unnie!” Yeri chirps as she runs into the older girl just as she’s exiting Wendy’s office. Irene smiles at the greeting, always pleased to see the youngest girl— she’s proudly the only member who Yeri refers to as ‘unnie’ on the regular. “Do you know if Joy, Seulgi and the others are back yet?”

“Not yet,” she replies. “I was just in the communications room, and I think Seulgi just said that they’re on their way back now, having retrieved the tanks of gasoline they were looking for.”

“Great! Thanks, unnie!” Yeri grins, rocking on her heels. She tilts her head, glancing over Irene. “Why are you visiting Wendy’s office, unnie? Are you hurt?” Concern floods into her tone.

Irene chuckles, shaking her head. “No, don’t worry about me, Yeri. I’m just helping out Wendy with her research regarding us finding a cure.” _Well, it’s not a lie._ A glance at a nearby clock. “You must’ve been here for hours, Yeri! Did you eat anything for lunch?”

“...I had an apple,” Yeri mumbles sheepishly.

Irene sighs with a small smile. “That’s no lunch. Go on, off to the kitchen with you! I think Jennie and her group came back with some wild turkey earlier. If you sneak in now, Jisoo will probably let you steal some before dinner.”

“I will! Thanks, unnie, you’re the best!” Yeri chimes before dashing off to the kitchen.

Irene shakes her head with a giggle.

“That girl…”

“I feel kind of bad,” Wendy says from behind Irene with a frown. The doctor had been listening in on the exchange from her office, only coming out to prop her door open a few moments prior. “We’re still keeping some facts from Yeri and Joy. Including—”

“My immunity,” Irene finishes, exhaling deeply. “I know, I feel awful too. I want to let them in, Wendy, I really do. But Seulgi’s not sure how Joy will react if we just drop the bomb like that.”

“I know, I know,” Wendy sighs, slouching in her chair. “After all, it was my idea to wait. I know Joy, and she can either take the information really well, or really badly. What’s worse is that she always has the best intentions.”

Irene nods. “Her heart is always in the right place.” She takes a seat in the guest shair and rolls up her sleeve. “I suppose we’ll cross that bridge when we get there, then. I’m sure we’ll find a proper time. Now, you said you needed another sample? I’m all ready.”

 

—

 

**Peonies and Acacias**

Hours later, Seulgi finds herself frowning, her form bent over several maps— one of the country, and other small ones of the individual areas. She sighs, picking up her pencil and circling a particular group of buildings, before picking up a ruler and drawing a straight line to their current location.

_It shouldn’t take more than a few days—_

“It’s getting late, shouldn’t you be in our room by now?”

A teasing voice jolts Seulgi from her thoughts, and the young leader immediately straightens out in her seat.

“And here you are,” the warm tone continues, and Seulgi chuckles as two familiar arms encircle her neck, and a body drapes itself over her back, “still toiling away in the communications room. I was waiting for you, you know?”

“Sorry, Hyun,” Seulgi apologizes sheepishly. “I didn’t realize the time. I’ll wrap up for today, no big deal.”

“What’s all this?” Irene asks, cocking her head at the array of maps. Scanning the images, a few choice labels catch her attention upon first sight, and she frowns at the implications. “Seul, just what are you planning. You’re trying to go to—”

“Wendy was talking about how she needs a centrifuge for the separation of some substances…” Seulgi bites her lip, and Irene takes her hand gently. “I don’t know where else we could possibly get one. There… there also might be some materials and resources there that Wendy could use to increase the odds for the succession of the cure. As much as I hate the idea of returning there, it’s our best bet, and it’s not too far to travel to.”

“I’m sorry,” the older girl says quietly. “I’m so sorry.”

“Oh, Hyun,” Seulgi shakes her head, pulling Irene for a hug and tucking her under her chin. “It’s no fault of yours. It’s… it’s my parents’ fault, really. I still feel guilty, but I’m working on it. I think helping with a cure can help me.”

“You can use me,” Irene blurts out, and Seulgi’s eyes widen.

“What?”

“You can use me as a means to an end.” Irene looks down, almost ashamed. “I’m immune, Seulgi. I’m okay with you using me, so long as you feel less guilty. I… I don’t want you to love me because of my immunity. I’d rather you just use me—”

“Hyun, what are you talking about?!” Seulgi looks genuinely shocked, and Irene’s face burns; she wonders if Seulgi can feel her heating up as the younger girl cups her cheek and plants kisses all over her face. “Oh god, Irene, I hadn’t even considered— I loved you before I knew you were immune, Hyun. I fell for you the moment I first saw that girl fighting tooth and nail for her freedom, and that was _way_ before I found out about your immunity. My love for you is real, Irene. Never doubt that.”

“I’m sorry,” is all Irene can say again, her words suddenly choked up in her throat, and she can’t help but feel silly for feeling worried. “I’m sor—”

“Shhh,” Seulgi hushes her, presses their foreheads together, a small smile playing on her lips. “You’ve got nothing to be sorry for. I’m sorry for not thinking about that possibly. But Irene? I love you. Really, truly. You must’ve been worried about that for a while now. I’m sorry we never addressed it.”

“I love you too,” Irene manages to whisper out. “So much, Seul. I’ll make sure to talk to you more about these things.”

“More communication,” Seulgi smiles. “That’ll be the next step, yeah? We’ll work on it together, you and me, since I’m a bit lacking in that area too. We’ll help each other, sound good?”

“That sounds good,” Irene sniffs, wiping at her eyes before giving a returning smile of her own. Her chest feels a little weightless. “Let’s go to sleep now? I want to hug you to sleep.”

“Only if I get to be big spoon.” The young leader sounds way too eager.

Irene snorts, her insecurities fading away into that simple bliss that she only experiences with Seulgi.

 

“You’re lucky I love you.”

 

—

 

**Orchids and Irises**

 

"So I'm guessing that your day went well," Joy says with a smile as Yeri excitedly recounts through her entire shift as Wendy's assistant. They’re sitting atop the roof of the resort, reclining on pool chairs as they watch the turning of the sky. "Did you know that you talk faster when you're speaking about something you're passionate about, Yerim?"  
  
Yeri blushes as Joy bops her nose with an index finger before proceeding to plant a quick kiss onto it.  
  
"My parents used to scold me for talking too fast," the short-haired girl admits, slight embarrassment in her inflection. "They said that it would get too difficult for them to understand, so I'd try to slow down, but I'd lose my train of thought. I like getting all my ideas out there."  
  
"Cute," is all Joy says in reply, and Yeri turns from a lovely shade of pink to the most attractive shade of red— Joy is positively in love as she encircles her arms around Yeri's waist. "You're adorable, Yerim."  
  
"Yeah, well," Yeri mumbles, "I'm all yours, so you're going to have to deal with it, Sooyoung."  
  
"I'm never sharing," Joy declares, resting her cheek on Yeri's head of hair.  
  
"Not even with our new friends?" Yeri questions, snuggling into Joy's hold. She rests her head on the older girl's chest, listening to the beating of Joy's heart; steady, strong, stable. Like the thumping of a drum, Yeri finds comfort in the constant beat. "I really like Wendy, and Seulgi, and Irene. Not even a little?"  
  
"Okay, maybe a little," Joy finally relents. Much to her surprise, the words come out easily, like she's not afraid of losing Yeri a second time, like there's nothing wrong with letting a few more people sneak in through the crevices of the walls that Joy's spent years building up, like their new little entourage isn't something temporary (and perhaps there's a small part of Joy that wants to believe that they're not just a finite thing). "Just because I like them too."  
  
Yeri hums, pleased with Joy's admission.  
  
"I like this place," Yeri says, eyes upturning to peer up at the night sky, twinkling with a river of sparkling little pigments. "We can see the stars from here. It must be because there aren't any lights nearby."  
  
"Yeah," Joy agrees. "Shelter had those big searchlights stationed around its incredibly large perimeter— too bright for us to see any stars."  
  
"I like it here," Yeri repeats with conviction. And that's when Joy understands.  
  
"You wanna stay here?" She tries to keep the amusement out of her tone.  
  
Yeri shrugs, attempting to be nonchalant, though she's fifty percent sure that Joy can see right through her.  
  
"I wouldn't mind," the younger girl says quietly.  
  
"Then we'll stay," Joy says with a smile, and her heart flutters at the happy, beaming expression dancing on Yeri's lips. "Anything for you, Yerim."  
  
(Both of them know that it's not just for Yeri anymore.)

 

(Joy should’ve known that you can’t have enough of a good thing.)

 

—

 

**Forget-Me-Nots**

 

Wendy tries to pinpoint exactly when the whole plan started going south.

It had started out with the simple premise: let Joy and Yeri know about Irene’s previous... infliction from their mortal enemies. The rest of the complex had been doing a wonderful job of slyly avoiding the topic, everyone having the utmost faith in Irene and her efforts to help find a cure.

Three brainstorming sessions later, and the simple premise had grown, to say the least, to: let Yeri know about Irene’s zombie bite first, and then have Yeri be present and understanding during the reveal with Joy.

The first half of the plan had gone well— after a joint meeting with Wendy, Seulgi, and Irene, Yeri was more than sympathetic with the eldest girl, and by the end of the confession, Yeri was clinging to the older girl, asking if she was okay. Irene had nodded, wiping Yeri’s tears and promising to show Yeri their progress on the cure later today.

No one had expected Joy to barge in so suddenly like that. No one had expected her furious reaction. And certainly, no one expected Joy to shove Irene away, the older girl sprawling to the ground without protest.

“Get away from her,” Joy had growled, pushing Yeri behind her, ignoring the smaller girl’s sputtered pleas for Joy to stop. The tallest girl’s right hand goes to the revolver strapped to her waist as her left still grips Yeri’s wrist.“Don’t even come _near_ her.”

Wendy had watched with bated breath as Seulgi had sprung to action, leaping out of her seat her hand already pulling out her gun.

“Watch where you point that thing, Sooyoung,” Seulgi had warned in a low, dangerous voice. “We don’t want violence here.”

So Wendy watches, still trying to absorb anything, as two of the most precious people in her life square off, guns held up and threatening, in a closed top-floor lounge room.

“If you didn’t want violence, then why is there an _infected person among us?!”_ Joy hisses, and Seulgi’s eyes narrow in anger.

“H-hey!” Wendy finally finds her footing, jumping out of her chair and standing up straight. “She’s not affected, Joy!”

The doctor’s words fall on deaf ears, and Joy ignores her.

Wendy wants to cry as more accusations are hurled Seulgi and Irene’s way, as Yeri shakes her had wordlessly, a hand covering her mouth as tears rolls down her cheeks. Wendy clenches her fists, nails digging into the palms of her hands, ready to dash in—

—when two familiar hands run themselves comfortingly down her arms, and Wendy subconsciously relaxes.

“Eunji,” Wendy whispers, and she can’t see her girlfriend’s small smile, but she knows that it’s there. And for some reason, _that_ is what finally grabs Joy and Seulgi’s attention, and there’s silence as everyone turns to look at the experienced runner.

“That’s my girl,” Eunji murmurs into Wendy’s ear. “We’ll get through this.” She doesn’t wait for a response, stepping out from behind Wendy and calmly walking out into the crossfire. She eyes both Joy and Seulgi in turn before reaching out, and gently pushing down their guns.

“Let’s be reasonable,” She says steadily to them both before focusing on Joy. “You’re hurting Yeri.”

 

**—**

 

**Orchids**

 

Joy doesn’t realize that she has a vice grip on Yeri until the younger girl touches the hand around around her wrist, rubbing circles into skin 

“Joy,” Yeri whispers, and it’s like a button has been pushed, with the way Joy immediately releases her wrist and leaps away, horrified at what she’d done.

“I’m sorry,” Joy stutters, trying to create as much distance as she can. “I’m so sorry, Yeri, I— oh god, just get away from me, don’t come close—”

"Oh, Joy!" Yeri cries, reaching out for her, cupping her girlfriend's cheek tenderly and positioning herself so that they're looking into each other's eyes. Meanwhile, the rest of the world fades to the background, like white noise where the only coherent thing, the only thing that Joy truly knows, is Yeri. "Joy, listen to me. This isn't right."

"I just want to protect you," Joy protests weakly. She grips Yeri's hips, trying to bring her closer, but the younger girl's hold on Joy is firm. "Everything is temporary, Yeri. Everything! I- I just found something that could last. I can't let that be taken away from me! Not again!"

"I'm not going anywhere," Yeri hushes her soothingly, smoothing out the worried lines running across Joy's face with her thumbs. "I'm not going anywhere, Sooyoung. And neither are our friends. Seulgi, Wendy, Irene... Joy, I know you love them. Don't even try to deny it." When Joy looks down, ashamed, Yeri sighs in relief, glad to be getting through.

"Wendy is your best friend— you would never hurt her." Yeri smiles tenderly. "In Seulgi, you found a kindred spirit. You two understand each other in a way that no one else can. And don't lie me, Joy. I know you found a mother-figure in Irene as well. You love the way she tends to you; how she looks out for you in a way that I know I can't. Please don't jump to conclusions, baby. Let her explain."

“Do I even deserve that?” Joy’s tired, and confused, and conflicted. Her head hurts, throbs. She wants the soup Irene had made for her, a lifetime away. Surely that would make her feel better. _Irene._ Deep down, she knows that Yeri is right. She knows that Irene would never hurt her. So why? Why is she acting like this? She’s always relied on her instincts before— there hasn’t been much reason to _think._ But _Irene_...

“Oh god... What have I done? I don’t... I don’t—”

“That’s for me to decide,” Irene smoothly interjects. Yeri takes her cue and backs up, and suddenly Joy’s staring into a pair of loving, warm eyes, and _oh, she doesn’t deserve this._

“Your heart is so big, Joy,” the eldest girl whispers. “So very, very big.” She takes a deep breath. “It’s a scar, Sooyoung-ah. I was bitten at the beginning of the outbreak, but I never turned, never succumbed. I’m _immune,_ Joy! And I’m so sorry I waited so long to tell you and Yerim.” Taking her hand gently, Irene starts tracing soothing circles with her thumb. “You won’t lose Yerim. I won’t let you lose her. I’ve stayed healthy for the past few months – I’ve never been better! – but have my word that should something happen, I’m prepared to take the precautions necessary to keep you all safe.”

“I don’t want to lose you too.” Joy’s voice is small. The throbbing grows worse. “I don’t want to lose any of you, but I just fucked up really bad...” Her voice cracks at the admission, and she hides her face behind a curtain of hair.

Irene smiles at that, and Joy wants to tell her that it’s not okay, that she’s messed up in the head, that she doesn’t deserve Irene— how can she deserve Irene’s acceptance when she hardly deserves Yeri’s?

“I’m not going anywhere either,” Irene says gently, encircling her arms around Joy and simply holding her, like how a mother would console her child.

 

—

 

**Orchids and Acacias**

 

"I'm sorry," Joy says quietly, softly, afraid. She shakes her head helplessly, disentangling herself from Irene’s embrace. The older girl lets out a sound of protest, but Joy only smiles wearily. "I always do this, I always mess things up. I'm sorry. I've never... I'd never really had to take care of anyone but myself before, not before Yeri. Wendy had always been on her own two feet… that’s probably why things ended… But somehow, Yeri and I made things work, and I thought, _hey, maybe I can do this large-group thing,_ but it didn't work at Shelter, so— 

"This is different," Seulgi abruptly cuts the former-loner off. " _We_ are different, Joy. We're not some vague group living our lives in fear of the unknown outside of some dome. We know what's out there, we know the dangers, and we face them together. That's what makes us stronger. That's what builds our bonds. We're a _family,_ Joy. And that family includes you." Seulgi takes a shaky breath. She's not losing another sister, no matter how bad the fight. "And I know you haven't had many good experiences with families before, so I've made it my personal goal to make this family your absolute best one!" She pauses, thinking through each word. "And maybe even your permanent one."

Joy stares at Seulgi, shocked. Her mouth parts wordlessly, unable to form sentences.

 _A permanent family_... Joy has never had one of those before.

Beside her, Yeri exchanges looks with Irene and Wendy, who both give her small, resolute nods in return.

"I'm not giving up on you," Seulgi says, strength coating each word as silence follows her previous statement. "I'm not letting you even _think_ of leaving us. I'm not giving up on you, Joy!"

Joy's bottom lip trembles, her vision clouding over, but she remains silent.

Seulgi doesn't realize she's crying until Irene touches her cheek tenderly and it dawns on her that tears now stain the sides of her face.

"I'm not giving up on you," she croaks out again, her voice hoarse with emotion. She staggers a step closer towards the tallest girl, reaching out for her, and Joy meets her halfway.

Joy finds herself in a warm embrace seconds later, her face pressed into Seulgi's shoulder, her hands clutching the leader's jacket desperately. She sobs into the fabric, crying indecipherable _thank you's_ because she doesn't know what else she could possibly say other than _thank you for believing in me. Thank you for not giving up_.

A moment later, three more pairs of arms find their way around the embracing duo. Joy registers the way that Irene leans her head on Joy's shoulder, and the tallest girl wordlessly grips Irene's hand.

She squeezes it, not knowing what else to do. _I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry._

Irene immediately squeezes her hand back. The smaller girl's hand is so incredibly soft, so warm. _I know you are, and it's okay. We can grow— the both of us._

Joy buries her face into the crook of Yeri's shoulder, meeting Wendy's welcoming eyes from across the group embrace.

Yes. This is what it means to have family.

"Get in here, Eunji," Joy commands the onlooking girl with a wet laugh. "I know you've got your own team, but you're with Wendy, and the rest of us are a package deal."

 

—

 

**Forget-Me-Nots**

 

By the time Wendy leaves the shower that night, feeling the need to run some steaming water down her body in order to wash away the toil of the day’s events, Eunji is already seated on their shared bed, looking out the large glass window, over the resort’s surrounding landscape.

Wendy smiles fondly at her girlfriend for a moment before making her way over to a nearby mirror to brush her hair. Eunji has always been so kind, so selfless; Wendy wishes she had introduced herself to Eunji back in university. She sure remembers Eunji, though— the slightly older girl had been the star of the track team, which Seulgi had also been a part of. Back then, Wendy and Seulgi had been roommates, and Wendy often found herself in the stands of various home track meets to cheer her university on. It was there that Wendy had first seen Eunji, though nothing had happened between them— Wendy isn’t even sure if Eunji knew she existed.

“You stopped brushing,” a warm, amused voice says from behind her, and Wendy chuckles as she allows Eunji to take the hairbrush away and lead her to the edge of their bed. A second later, Eunji’s soothingly threading her left hand through Wendy’s hair, using her right hand to brush through slight tangles. “Are you okay, Wan?”

Wendy hums, pleased with the attention. “Yeah. I’m… actually doing better than before, I think. The whole encounter with Joy and Yeri really lifted a lot of weight off my chest— and I’m sure Irene and Seulgi’s too. Thank you, by the way. You really helped calm everyone down.”

Eunji lets out a noise of agreement, placing down the hairbrush and leaning forward to nuzzle the back of Wendy’s neck.

“It was the only thing I could do,” Eunji says, humble as always. “It was only right, since I didn’t want anyone getting hurt…though, I guess I know where Joy’s coming from.”

 _That_ gets Wendy’s attention, and she furrows her brows.

“What do you mean?”

“Her protectiveness,” Eunji clarifies, wrapping her arms around Wendy’s waist and pulling her in possessively. “Her desire to protect Yeri. I feel that way about you too, Wan. I just want you to be safe, always. I’d fight the whole world for you. But… I know that you wouldn’t want that.”

“I wouldn’t,” Wendy whispers, turning around to peck Eunji on the nose, pressing their foreheads together. “I don’t want you putting yourself in danger either. I just need you _with me,_ Eunji. That’s enough. That’s more than enough. I am so, _so_ lucky to have you.”

“You mean so much to me.” Eunji’s voice cracks at the admission, and she gathers Wendy in her arms. Wendy feels her heart break for the second time that day as she feels Eunji shiver around her. “I-I know I try and keep my head on right, but I can’t help but just _hate_ our situation… I saw you there, between Joy and Seulgi, with their guns out, and I was _afraid,_ Wan! And you were so ready to jump between them and put a stop to it, and I know that both Joy and Seulgi are your best friends, but I was so scared – I don’t regret anything that happened, but just – oh _god—”_

“Eunji, _breathe,”_ Wendy whispers into her ear. It’s the first time she’s seen her girlfriend like this, but she shoulders on, undeterred. Eunji has always been strong for her. It’s only right that Wendy is strong as well. “Baby, I’m right here, shhh… I’m not going anywhere, Eunji. I’m staying right with you.”

“I want to take my mind off of it,” Eunji mumbles into Wendy’s hair, and the younger of the two nods. “Can you just talk to me, Wan? About anything _us?”_

Wendy smiles. “Of course, babe. What do you want to talk about?”

“Do you remember the first time you saw me?”

“Of course I do,” Wendy laughs. “I had gone to one of your track meets to cheer on Seulgi, but I remember distinctly standing up on my feet as the crowd roared for the girl in the grade above me, tearing down the track during the 500 meter relay. You were smiling so big as you passed the finish line, like you’d just won the Olympics. Little did I know that this same girl would change my whole world.”

Eunji drops her head to place a kiss on Wendy’s shoulder. “I wish I knew you back then. I wish I knew how amazing you were.”

“I was going long distance with Joy back then,” Wendy reminds her gently with a chuckle.

“I would’ve taken the first opportunity to make you mine,” Eunji states with pride. “I think I fell for you the moment I first saw you.”

“Oh?” Wendy raises an eyebrow. It’s the first time they’ve ever really talked about first impressions, not that she thinks about it. “When did you first see me?”

“It was during a chorus concert,” Eunji recalls. “You were the freshman who didn’t even major in music, yet you were given a solo part in your first courtyard concert. I was there to cheer on my friend, Hyorin. Then, you opened your mouth, and I felt all giddy for some reason; so proud. And I am still, you know? I’m still so proud of you.”

 

—

 

**Irises**

 

“Why’d they go out on their own?” Yeri pouts as she perches herself atop a kitchen stool, crossing her arms as she watches Irene mull about the premises, picking out spices and vegetables before carrying them back over to the pot of boiling water. “I wanted to go too!”

“Don’t you think it’s time Eunji and Joy had a talk, Kim Yerim?” Irene says the words with a teasing, cheeky smile, beckoning for Yeri to come over. She hands the younger girl a knife and some greens to chop up, and Yeri complies without complaint, simply thankful for something to do. “I think it’s a good opportunity for them.”

“I think so too,” Yeri admits begrudgingly, being extra careful to not cut herself with the large kitchen knife. “It’s not like things have been awkward, but there are things unsaid, y’know?”

Irene hums and nods, thinking back to how she’d told Seulgi about her past engagement briefly in passing, and how her girlfriend had listened to her open up, about her former frustrations with Bogum. After, it had felt like her back got a little bit lighter.

“It’ll definitely help them out.”

“So you two are cooking?”

The two occupied girls look up to see Seulgi striding into the kitchen with a grin, Eunae, Moonbyul, Jennie, and Wendy nearby.

“Joy asked me about some soup I made her a while ago,” Irene explains, planting a kiss on Seulgi’s cheek. “Yeri got curious, so I roped her into helping me since she had nothing to do.”

“Mother gave me no choice,” Yeri calls from where she continues to chop vegetables.

Irene rolls her eyes pointedly. “She told me that she had nothing to do, so I put her to work! Better cooking than taking inventory.”

“Taking inventory isn’t _that_ bad…” Wendy trails off. Flanking her, Eunae, Moonbyul, and Jennie all raise their eyebrows.

“Wendy-unnie, it’s the most mundane experience—”

“Did we… do the same task? Because I swear I was taking inventory last week and I was bored out of my—”

“I would rather be fighting zombies, and we’re living in a zombie apocalypse.”

“Okay! It’s boring, and I’m sorry that I suggested otherwise!” Wendy throws her hands up in defense, and Yeri laughs, tossing her vegetables into the boiling pot and stirring slightly before placing the lid back on.

“I sure hope Eunji and Joy are having fun,” she comments, mind wandering to the two girls out on border patrol.

 

—

 

**Orchids and Wisteria**

 

“That was so much fun!” Joy whoops happily, leaning onto her motorcycle and resting her shotgun over her shoulder. “Thanks for watching my back, Eunji.”

“No problem,” the older girl smirks, hopping down from the ledge she’d been perched upon, pulling out a handkerchief, and wiping at her sniper rifle. “Nothing like a good zombie extermination. It’s been awhile since I’ve been able to let loose like that. You’re very skilled, Joy.”

Joy laughs, tipping her head back and looking up at the cloudless, blue sky above her.

“After Wendy and I broke up,” she starts, carefully easing them into the inevitable topic they’d yet to broach, “I didn’t have much to do. I took up riflery as a sport, and it was pretty fun. So that’s what I poured all my time into.”

“You and Wendy spent a lot of time together, huh…” Eunji settles onto the seat of her own bike, resting an arm against a handlebar pensively.

Joy simply nods. “Yeah… she was my first friend, you know? She came back from overseas to no friends, her family still out there, and well, I was family-less, as you’ve probably come to know. We both had no one, so we kind of clung to each other.” A hand comes up to fiddle the green ring, hanging from its chain around her neck. “We were… quite the sight to see, back then.”

Eunji chuckles. “I can imagine.”

“We were exact opposites,” Joy snorts. “She was short, and I wasn’t. She was a straight-A student, and I wasn’t. She was naturally gifted in socializing, and I wasn’t. She was carefree, and I wasn’t. She was kind, and I… I wasn’t.” A sigh. “But she continued to hang around me regardless— like, some kind of selfless love or something. Back then, we mistook it for something romantic.”

“Was it really not what you thought?” Eunji gets the feeling that she’s only digging a bigger hole for herself, but she couldn’t care less.

“Maybe in the beginning it was?” Joy shrugs. “Regardless, it didn’t last. We were too different, and not in the opposites attract sort of way. But that was fine. Everything was better when we decided to just stay friends anyway. We’re still friends today, as you can see.”

“I was jealous of you,” Eunji blurts out, all her insecurities pouring out in that one phrase. “I-I think I still _am._ You know her so _well,_ and—”

“And soon, you will too,” Joy interjects, gazing up at Eunji steadily. “You know as well as I do, Eunji, that you’re Wendy’s _someone_. She’s not mine, she never was mine. And in our youth, it took us too long to figure that out. She was attending a great university a ways away, and I had stayed local. I feel bad, honestly, for wasting her time like that.” She shakes her head. “I wish I’d let her free sooner… to think that she was tied back to someone like me— wait, I promised Yeri I’d stop being so self-deprecating.”

“Yeri’s really got you whipped,” Eunji laughs at the icy glare Joy shoots her way. _If looks could kill._

“I’m just open to her requests,” Joy grumbles, frowning at the way Eunji laughs even harder at that, clutching her stomach. “Anyways, she’s my _someone_ , so I don’t want to hear any of it. Just,” she takes a deep breath. “Hear me out, okay?”

Eunji nods wordlessly, leaning in curiously.

“What is it?”

“I’m going to give you the shovel talk, yeah? Because you’re dating my best friend, and it’s my responsibility to make sure you know everything there is to know. If I knew you back when this first started, I would’ve given this earlier, but since I didn’t— well, better late than never, right? So even if you know this stuff, just bear with it.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“Right.” A deep breath. “So you’re dating Wendy. Her real name is Son Seungwan, and she was born here, but she moved overseas with her parents because of her father’s job. Back when she was a kid, she really wanted to be a singer, so she grew up singing in a lot of choirs— she’s a soprano. Her favorite number is 77, and her favorite color is blue. She’s one of the kindest people you’ll ever have the pleasure of knowing, but she’s also one of the loneliest.

 

“She doesn’t like being a bother to people, even if she’s really not, so she might have some trouble coming to you with her problems, or confronting you when she feels upset. Just give her time, and she’ll come through. Show that you’ll listen to her no matter what, and she’ll come to you. And afterward, she might apologize for some bullshit about taking too much of your time, so make sure to tell her that she’s not being troublesome, and that she’s more than worth it.”

Joy’s voice shakes as she lets it all spill, all this information of the girl she’d grown up with, of the girl who deserved the world that Joy couldn’t give her. “Wendy attended boarding school overseas, so she has this habit of making her friends her family. She likes to act like she’s not affected, but she really is, so just… just treasure her, okay? Because she more than deserves it.”

Eunji bites her bottom lip, trying to stop the trembling.

“I will. Thank you, Joy.”

“Just take care of her, Eunji. That’s thanks enough.”

 

—

 

**Irises**

 

The months pass smoothly, and before they know it they find themselves setting out to find the last piece of the puzzle— or, at least the means to finding that last missing piece.

Nothing could’ve prepared them for this.

Yeri shakes her head, tears streaming down her cheeks and a sob aching to be released.

_How did we get here?_

She wishes she could tune it all out; tune out the horrible sound of Irene’s shocked cries, of Seulgi’s panicked voice ushering the eldest girl away from the sight in front of them, the awful noise of Wendy screaming desperately for the woman she had fallen so desperately in love with.

Yeri registers Joy wrapping her up in her strong arms, tugging, pulling Yeri in closer to her chest, trying to shelter her away from everything bad in the world.

But Yeri can’t look away, can’t tear her gaze away. Not this time. Not this time.

How could she possibly?

How can she possibly look away from the bloodshot of eyes of Eunji staring back at all of them, shame written on her features, a groan ready to leave her lips, one hand firmly on her neck. Blood seeps out from where she’s hidden the wound beneath her quivering palm, but even then, it’s obvious.

 _Bitten._ She’s been _bitten._

The single word echoes through the abyss of Yeri’s mind.

Eunji has been _bitten._

 

To be continued.


End file.
